To Mentor is to Touch a Life Forever

By Rachel Barks

Attorney Angela Henderson, as seen on Legal Action and featured for Divorce & Family Law with Will County Judge – The Honorable David Garcia, has been in the law industry for 25 years, and is extremely well-versed in family law, divorce, and mediation. She is a respected, experienced professional focusing on family law issues with a single office located in Joliet, Ill. — Henderson & Mehta Law and Mediation Center.

Before stepping into law, Henderson worked in business, which was very helpful when she started launching her career as an attorney.

“25 years ago there weren’t many women in the legal field,” Henderson said. “I was 40 when I graduated; I knew a lot of friends through my business practices, who were attorneys, who wrote me letters of recommendations.”

 

“Being a mentor is a valuable way to run your life.”

Henderson has a strong passion for community service that has spanned across her entire career. Many accomplishments that she is proud of stem from this service. On the Henderson & Mehta Law and Mediation Center website it states that, “Her long-standing commitment to community service has not diminished as Angela currently coaches the mediation team at Lewis University.

As a team they have competed overseas from England to Scotland, and were invited to India. She explains that she really enjoyed being a mentor to all those kids that were in college, most of whom are attorneys now, so she gets to visit them when they come to court.

“The skills you learn in mediation become part of your personality, so it’s comfortable to do and enjoyable to do,” Henderson said.

Henderson has also had the opportunity to start and be the chair of the Guardian ad Litem Committee of the Will County Bar Association. Henderson loves teaching and through this she was able to organize and help teach the ten hour accreditation class to become a Guardian ad Litem. She also helps teach the 40 hours mediation class that is geared towards attorneys and judges.

“Angela cares deeply about everyone that she works with. She is always looking for opportunities to provide mentorships to others; she also has a love of teaching,” said Courtney Mehta of Henderson & Mehta Law and Mediation Center.

Henderson is also involved with the Law Student Externship Program at the courthouse with Judge Archambeault. It’s where law students, usually first-year law students, come to work at the courthouse for free for the summer. Henderson teaches them a mini mediation class, takes them on field trips to the Appellate Court and the Federal Court, and more. They take in about ten students a summer that way.

The externship program takes a lot of commitment, so she assists Judge Archambeault in putting it together.

“I’ve been with her since the beginning of a ten year program, so we’ve helped a lot of new lawyers get their start.” Henderson said.

 

“You get more out of the mentoring process than the mentee gets. You have to understand your job well enough to teach it, and you have to understand how to communicate with people and how to be helpful to people,” She added. “Those are skills that make a good lawyer.”

To learn more about Henderson & Mehta Law and Mediation Center, visit angelahendersonlaw.com.