Herman Ellis, Dianne

Some cases require a degree of perseverance, tenacity and detailed investigation that only the most persistent of counsel can provide. Those cases are meant for Brad Henry. Whether it is a catastrophic structural failure, a refinery explosion, or a plane crash, the ability and willingness to dig through mountains of facts and travel the hemisphere to reach witnesses are what Henry thrives on.

"There is a moment in every case when you realize you've found the key," says Henry. "Once that key was a microfiched memo in the basement of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; another time it was a worker admitting that he had been asked to lie to the authorities; recently, it was pursuing a material witness to a tiny village in Brazil." These are among Henry's favorite moments as a lawyer.

Henry learned to appreciate attention to detail and careful planning while working for USAirways in fleet service and public relations during college and law school. Working his way through law school full-time, Henry took on the role of law clerk to Peter Black in aviation defense matters and Leo Boyle in plaintiff's cases. Upon joining the firm in 1991, Henry focused on the pretrial preparation of complex civil cases in both state and federal courts. A partner since 1999, Henry has been trial counsel in a wide variety of cases and has primarily been responsible for preparing high-profile and media intensive matters including the wrongful death cases of Del Valle v. Bechtel Cap., et al.; Allen v. MBTA & Amtrak; Krueger v. MIT & FIJI, and the college shooting case of Beavers v. Simon's Rock College. Henry's practice also includes nursing home litigation, complex products liability and weapons cases.

Henry speaks at state and national legal seminars and events, often in connection with his positions in the Federal Bar Association where he has served as the National Chair of the Young Lawyers Division, on the FBA's National Executive Committee and as President of the FBA's Massachusetts Chapter. He has also served in the House of Delegates of both the Massachusetts Bar Association and the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.