About Jim

Jim Henderson has been practicing law since 1990, focusing principally on corporate law, usually as outside general counsel to privately-held firms, and on tax and estate planning.  Beyond his law practice, Jim has accumulated a variety of computer and other technical skills, is an independent thinker, and has varied interests outside of the practice of law.

Jim was born in Boston in 1965, and grew up in Wayland.  He attended the public schools there, and graduated from Wayland High School in 1983 as one of the state's top mathematics students. Jim then attended Princeton University, where he earned his undergraduate degree in Economics in 1987.  In addition to his academic pursuits, Jim developed and honed his technical and computer skills, serving as a technical adviser to both high school and college newspapers and acting as an informal computer troubleshooting volunteer.  Jim was eventually employed by Apple Computer while a student at Princeton.

Following his undergraduate tenure, Jim attended the University of Michigan Law School, where he focused on corporate and business law matters.  He received his law degree in 1990. Jim was then hired as a corporate law associate at the Connecticut firm of Cummings & Lockwood.  In addition to his corporate practice, Jim was given a six-month opportunity to support the local community through the Stamford office of Connecticut Legal Services. One of his legal services matters allowed Jim to argue a 14th Amendment case before the Connecticut Supreme Court, which resulted in an unanimous decision in favor of his client in 1994 (see Barannikova v. Town of Greenwich, 229 Conn. 664, 643 A.2d 251).

He then joined the Boston firm of Jager Smith in 1994, with whom he practiced for 11 years and became a partner.  While there, his practice expanded beyond general corporate law into estate planning, commercial lending and real estate.  To supplement this practice, in 2001 Jim earned a LL.M. degree in taxation law from Boston University.  In 2006, Jim established his current practice, representing privately held businesses, assisting individuals and families with tax and estate planning, and handling commercial and residential real estate transactions.

Jim's interests are not limited to his professional work. He enjoys performing on stage, and has done so in vocal groups, and most recently in Cambridge with the Christmas Revels. In his spare time he has lent his expertise to the Boards of several non-profit organizations, both in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Jim was also the independent candidate for Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth in 2010.