Attorney Jim Henderson says anyone who knows him would say he’s a sports fanatic. However, if his friends or family members are unconvincing, then the battle between green and orange in his office will leave no room for doubt: the man loves sports.
Green Bay Packers photos and memorabilia take up the lion’s share of personal space in his office. Henderson has been a fan since he was a child. “I don’t have any Wisconsin ties. When I was six and was picking a team, I went with the Packers because they were in the Super Bowl. I’ve been with them ever since,” he says, glancing at a giant wedge of foam cheese sitting on a nearby shelf.
While green overwhelms orange in Henderson’s office in the CBL building at Hamilton Place, a Vols poster nonetheless claims a fair share of real estate. “I come by my love for orange honestly,” he says. “I was a UT student for most of the ‘80s, so I’m a diehard fan,” he says. “That’s not easy right now. We’ve seen better times.”
Henderson is more than a spectator; he’s also coached several youth sports, including basketball and soccer at the YMCA and baseball and football through the East Brainerd Youth Athletic Association. Currently, Henderson is coaching the Upward Sports Flag Football team on which his 9-year-old son is playing. Although he loves when the Packers and the Vols win, when he’s working with his players, he’s more concerned about teaching them how to play and be good sports.
“When you’re coaching kids, your goal should be to develop their skills,” he says. “They’ll have their shot at winning championships when they move on to high school and college, but while they’re with me, they need to learn the basics of the game and how to carry themselves on the field.”
Given Henderson’s passion for sports, one might assume he has a competitive streak, which in turn led him to become a trial lawyer. But that’s not the case. Rather, he’s a real estate attorney with Husch Blackwell.
He’s still competitive, though. “Working the best deal for your client can be a competitive process,” he says.
Henderson concentrates his practice in the areas of shopping center law, commercial real estate acquisition and development, leasing, residential real estate, and commercial lending. In addition to serving as the lead attorney for the development, acquisition, renovation, and expansion of shopping centers throughout the U.S., he also serves as counsel for both landlords and tenants in a variety of real estate activities, including negotiating leases and related agreements with national and regional tenants and developers.
Henderson also advises lenders on matters involving the financing of the acquisition and development of residential and commercial properties. In addition, he counsels property managers regarding retail, office, and other commercial projects, and advises clients on the formation of corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies, and other entities for purposes of owning, developing, and managing a variety of real estate activities.
Henderson enjoys his work, especially the projects he’s able to take “from soup to nuts,” as he says. “I like when a client says he’s found a great piece of land, and he wants me to help him get it under control,” he says. “It’s like putting together a puzzle. When it’s all said and done, and people are walking into the stores, I feel proud for having had a hand in putting it together.”
Henderson has experience working an array of projects across the U.S., including preparing and negotiating leases and agreements on behalf of property owners with national tenants such as The Cheesecake Factory, H&M, Nordstrom, Dillard’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Macy’s, ULTA, Chick-fil-A, and Bed Bath & Beyond – to name a few.
Henderson first expressed a desire to become a lawyer during his junior year at Baylor School in Chattanooga. His father was a senior vice president at First Tennessee Bank, and often talked about the importance of lawyers in his line of work, but his interest in the law grew more out of his propensity for breaking down and analyzing issues. “Also, my dad complained a lot about the fees attorneys charged, so I figured they made a little money,” he says, smiling.
After Henderson graduated from Baylor in 1980, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville was his home for the next eight years while he studied economics as an undergraduate and then simultaneously earned a law degree and a master’s of business administration degree. While an intern at CBL, he gained an interest in real estate. “I knew I was on the right path for me,” he says.
With his education under his belt, Henderson was ready to work. But he wasn’t eager to return to his hometown. “No one wanted to come back to Chattanooga. It just wasn’t the place to be,” he says.
Henderson worked at a small boutique law firm in Nashville for a year. When that practice “imploded” in the wake of the savings and loan crisis of the ‘80s, he spent the next year serving as the State of Tennessee’s bankruptcy attorney. His long-term plan didn’t include a bankruptcy practice, so when a colleague told him about a real estate position at Shoemaker & Thompson in Chattanooga, he threw his hat into the ring.
Shoemaker offered Henderson the job – and he took it with no reservations. “The Aquarium was on a roll and the city was on the move,” he says. “It was a good time for me to move back.”
It was also a good time for Henderson to start a family. Not long after settling in at Shoemaker & Thompson, he met and then married his wife, Ashlie, with whom he now has three children: Will, 16; Meg, 12; and Charlie, 9. The family of five enjoys taking short trips, hiking, and going to the movies on a whim.
In addition to staying active at work and home, Henderson gives back to his profession and community. He’s a member of the Chattanooga and Tennessee Bar Associations, and is involved with the International Council of Shopping Centers. He’s also a member of the Chattanooga Hamilton Place Rotary Club, where he served as president two years ago. He and his wife attend Christ United Methodist Church.
Monday morning is never far off, though, placing him back in his office and its sea of orange and green. Fortunately, he’s glad to be there, and has no plans to leave anytime soon. “My youngest child is nine, so I’ll be doing this for a while,” he says. “Heaven forbid he go to law school or medical school. I could be doing this into my seventies.”
Henderson laughs and says he’d still be enjoying his work. “People say they’ll stop doing what they’re doing when they don’t like it anymore,” he says, “but I can’t see that happening.”