David Henson Accepts NCAJ Presidential Gavel From Vernon Sumwalt

David Henson, a partner in the Raleigh law firm Henson & Fuerst, P.A., accepted the president’s gavel from Vernon Sumwalt on Thursday during the Annual Convention of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice, held virtually via Zoom. Henson will serve a one-year term as NCAJ president beginning July 1.

Henson will succeed Sumwalt of The Sumwalt Group in Charlotte to become NCAJ’s 46^th president.

Henson received his bachelor’s degree with academic distinction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995 and his law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1998. After passing the Bar, he joined Henson & Fuerst, a state-wide law firm representing individuals who have suffered catastrophic injuries from motor vehicle accidents, workplace incidents, nursing home abuse and neglect and professional negligence.

Henson focuses his professional time at Henson & Fuerst in the area of eminent domain and land condemnation, representing individuals, businesses, and churches confronted with having land taken from them by the government. Henson handles eminent domain cases across the state of North Carolina and regularly represents clients against the North Carolina Department of Transportation, local municipalities and cities, utility companies, school boards, water authorities and other condemning authorities. He believes passionately in the inviolate rights of landowners.

Henson has been actively involved in the North Carolina Advocates for Justice (NCAJ) for more than 20 years. In recent years, David has served on the Board of Governors, Executive Committee in several vice-president roles, and on innumerable committees and tasks forces.

Henson is a firm believer in giving back to the community and has served on the boards of multiple non-profit organizations in the community. In addition, as a prior Emergency Medical Technician he is a regular presenter on the topic of EMS Medical Negligence to EMS agencies across the state, the North Carolina Association of EMS Administrators, and the UNC Medical School.

Henson is married to Carma Henson, who also practices law as a partner at Henson Fuerst. They have two sons, Caleb and Parker, who are the loves of his life.

During his tenure as president, Henson looks forward to working with NCAJ to ensure that their trial lawyer members remain prepared to fight for the rights of all citizens of North Carolina. NCAJ recently adopted a five-year Strategic Plan, which Henson served as the committee chair for. As president, he looks forward to executing on a number of key tasks that will ensure the long-term success of the organization, including a diverse and growing membership, financial security, relevant educational programming and membership engagement, and a strong and resilient advocacy program. The world is rapidly changing, and Henson wants to ensure that NCAJ is prepared to meet that change.