David Henderson is a civil rights attorney, communications consultant, and CNBC contributor.
David has more than two decades of experience in high-profile communication-based roles, including 20 years as a trial attorney during which he has tried over 70 jury cases to a verdict, ranging from capital murder to human trafficking to civil cases. He has also helped devise courtroom strategies for hundreds of proceedings. Previously, he served as an associate at Vinson & Elkins, LLP, an international law firm with approximately 700 lawyers worldwide, and then as a prosecutor in the Special Crimes Division of the Bexar County’s District Attorney’s office. Currently, he serves as a civil rights attorney at Ellwanger Henderson LLLP and is the Managing Partner of the firm’s Dallas office. David is also a speaker and communications expert with Spoken with Authority, a Washington D.C.-based presentation skills consultancy.
Due in large part to his exceptional communication skills, David was invited by the Texas District and County Attorney’s Association (TDCAA) to provide continuing education courses for thousands of attorneys across the state and served as faculty at TDCAA’s semi-annual Trial Skills Course, which is essentially boot camp for all Texas prosecutors. He also joined Toastmasters International in 2007, and in 2010 he was named World Champion of Public Speaking in a competition of more than 30,000 elite speakers from 113 countries.
As part of his longstanding commitment to ending systemic injustice, David has written op-eds regarding anti-riot laws and qualified immunity, which have been published by the Washington Post and Newsweek. He also frequently provides legal analyses on CNBC and other NBC networks. David holds a B.A. in Plan II Honors from the University of Texas, and a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law.