Rebecca Henderson

Unlike some in the commercial real estate industry who began careers on a different path, Rebecca Henderson’s interest in the business dates back to her college days.

“When I was at the University of Florida College of Law, I focused on historic preservation law and the importance of land use. It was something that I really enjoyed and was drawn to."

Henderson, a zoning attorney with Greenspoon, Marder, Hirschfeld, Rafkin, Ross & Berger PA in the firm’s West Palm Beach office, has been affiliated with the commercial real estate industry for 11 years. “I’ve been with the firm for two years, but I worked with them on matters as a land-use attorney for two years prior to that.”

Henderson is in charge of the West Palm Beach office, where one of her associates is state Sen. Dave Aronberg, a Democrat elected to office in 2002 and subsequently reelected. “Dave is my colleague and we practice together,” Henderson said. “We do local government representation, including land use, zoning and commercial transaction work.”

Henderson said on of the most rewarding aspects of her work is having clients that are pleased with the end result. “When a client is really thrilled at the end of representation, that is a very satisfied client.”

The challenging part is tackling so many different angles and aspects of a job, Henderson said. “You cover everything that you have to and make it a success. All projects have different issues and you must be creative to cover everything.”

Henderson says gender is not really an issue in her field. “We’ve always had a certain concentration of female attorneys, especially on the land-use side. There’s no advantage or disadvantage to being a man or a woman in my field. People want to deal with attorneys who know what they are talking about.”

Her background in development and land use has helped her become a better transactional attorney, Henderson said. “I’ve been fortunate to have wonderful mentors, and now I am with a fantastic law firm. That’s a big element of success, to be associated with such an extraordinary group of lawyers.”

When not practicing law, Henderson serves as chairperson of the West Palm Beach Preservation Board and is a member of the Urban Land Institute, the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches and the Governor’s Club in West Palm Beach. She has two dogs and likes to scuba dive when she can find time. She also enjoys quiet holidays in the Caribbean.

Henderson predicts continued strength in the real estate market.

“I don’t think this is a bubble, though there may be some movement in the market, as with any market. I think we’ll see continued investment in the market, with the baby boomers moving here. So many people got burned in the stock market, and real estate is something you can touch and feel.”

For the foreseeable future, Henderson sees herself continuing on the same track. “I’ll be doing what I’m doing now, only more of it. We do development in commercial and residential. It’s a nice mix of clients and products.”