William Henderson

Course Portfolio: The Legal Profession

William Henderson is the Stephen F. Burns Chair on the Legal Profession at Indiana University Maurer School of Law, where he has taught since 2003. His research focuses on the empirical analysis of the legal profession and legal education.

A member of the Indiana Supreme Court’s Innovation Committee and the Commission on Indiana’s Legal Future (appointed by Chief Justice Rush in 2024), Professor Henderson co-leads the Applied Research Practicum: Indiana Legal Systems, deploying students to build infrastructure for access-to-justice reform. Building on that research, he is developing a pilot nonprofit law firm that combines allied legal professionals, technology, and legal operations discipline to deliver affordable legal services to low- and moderate-income Hoosiers statewide.

Throughout this academic career, Professor Henderson has participated in several legal innovation initiatives, including the Institute for the Future of Law Practice (IFLP, “i-flip”), an education nonprofit that combines sophisticated training in modern law practice with paid internships for law students (acquired by LSAC in 2021); Lawyer Metrics, an applied research company that helps lawyers and law firms use data to make better operational and strategic decisions (acquired by AccessLex in 2015); and Legal Evolution, an online applied research publication focused on successful legal industry innovation.