LaShae Henderson (JD ’03)
To be able to do that for somebody else, to stand there and let them know what is going on and to be an advocate for people is something that I feel very passionate about. LaShae Henderson
PEPPER D INE L AW
22
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hen she was a young girl, LaShae Henderson had the chance to go to court with her mother, who was a court reporter. She loved watching trials, and decided that she wanted to be an attorney or “the one talking.” Her family paved the way for her career in public defense too. After her parents passed away, she had to figure out how to become the legal guardian for her siblings. “I saw what it felt like to be helpless in the system and to be scared stiff about what is going to happen to your family,” she explains. “To be able to do that for somebody else, to stand there and let them know what is going on and to be an advocate for people is something that I feel very passionate about.” After law school and before she passed the bar, she fought for her younger brother to get the help that he needed to function outside of the juvenile court system. Henderson researched options for her brother and when his trial date came, she was able to plead his case to the judge, both as his legal guardian and as his attorney. Impressed with Henderson’s tenacity and dedication, the opposing attorney in the case told her that she should be a public defender in the Los Angeles County Public Defender Office—where the attorney worked. Henderson passed the bar, applied for a position, and was accepted. Later, she found out that the woman who had recommended her was one of the most experienced public defenders in the office. Now Henderson works primarily with juveniles on cases ranging from a young boy who stole a sandwich because he was hungry, to more serious cases. “Being in juvenile law has been very rewarding because they’re kids,” she explains. “If you can get them connected with services they need, you can help prevent them from living their life with a disability that they didn’t even know they have. I look at my job as a way of counseling these kids.” Henderson calls the public defender office a supportive environment because of the nature of the work. At the end of the day, nothing compares to the satisfaction she feels when she sees her clients’ faces after they receive a good outcome. “I’m just very practical and very real with what I do,” she says. “Those in need shouldn’t get run over just because they can’t afford an attorney.”