Michael Hendershot, Master of the Pivot

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Michael Hendershot didn’t set out to be a lawyer. Today, he serves as general counsel, head of litigation and dispute resolution for Nielsen and has been with the media research giant for eight years. But as an undergraduate at The Ohio State University, he majored in molecular genetics, thinking he would pursue a career in medicine.

“I liked science, and I thought being a doctor would be the logical choice,” Hendershot recalls. “I finished about half the premed curriculum, did some research work in a lab, and volunteered at a hospital. Eventually, I realized that it wasn’t for me, so I needed to reevaluate what I was going to do.”

That reevaluation led Hendershot to law school, where he aimed to use his science background to become a patent lawyer specializing in biotech. After he finished law school at the University of Virginia, Hendershot took a role at Jones Day in Chicago doing patent litigation.

“I learned a couple of things fairly quickly,” he recalls. “There are two somewhat distinct areas of patent law: writing and getting the patents, which is highly technical, and litigating patents once you have them. I knew I would not be writing patents in the biotech space because the lawyers who do that generally have advanced degrees.” 

He also saw limited opportunities in the Midwest to carve out a career in biotech patent litigation. Even though he had already passed the patent bar, he decided to pivot to soft IP, with a focus on copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets. That choice led to roles at Goldberg Kohn doing IP and general litigation and at Brinks Gilson & Lione (now a part of Crowell & Moring) working mostly on trademarks. He gained seven years of valuable litigation and IP experience working at firms.

“I would say it’s impossible to come straight out of law school and be an effective in-house attorney,” he notes. “You have to make quick assessments, sometimes gut assessments based on your understanding of the law, and the only way to develop those instincts is through experience.”

Then Hendershot switched gears again to try his luck as a solo practitioner. “At the end of the day, I didn’t love being at a law firm,” he says. “A former colleague of mine had already gone in-house at Tribune Media, and he had a lot of work that he needed help with. So, I did it. I hung up my own shingle, and the bulk of the practice was working as an outside commercial attorney for Tribune Media.”

“My varied background is a real asset in this role. I understand what’s possible and not possible.”

Michael Hendershot

Although Hendershot enjoyed his solo practice, some personal and professional changes prompted Hendershot, himself, to move in-house at Tribune Media. For one, his wife became pregnant with their daughter and wanted to stay home. At the same time, Tribune Media was intending to hire another in-house lawyer, so Hendershot’s work pipeline would dry up if he didn’t take the role himself.

“Through my work with Tribune Media, I’d developed an interest in going in-house,” Hendershot recounts. “I liked the company and working with the Tribune Media legal team, and I spent seven years there. I came in focusing on commercial contracting and IP, but I ended up doing a little bit of everything.” 

That experience was also his introduction to Nielsen. When Tribune Media sold a business unit called Gracenote to Nielsen, Hendershot continued as the lead operations attorney for Gracenote and played a key role in the integration. After a few years, Hendershot joined the IP group of Nielsen, where he worked on sourcing the inventions, working with outside counsel to get the patents written, and handling IP litigation. Soon he would make one last pivot.

“Nielsen sold off part of its business, and the attorneys that went along with the sale had been handling Nielsen’s litigation, but it was somewhat ad hoc because there was no structured litigation team in place,” he explains. “When they left, I pitched our chief legal officer on starting a litigation team here.”

His pitch paid off. He created the litigation and dispute resolution team at Nielsen, which he leads. The team handles all company disputes, litigation and related matters, including contract, labor and employment, IP, antitrust, and bankruptcy issues.

“Over time, we have taken over legal operations and outside law firm and vendor management responsibilities too,” Hendershot says. “We’re a dynamic team, and I have a lot of trust in my team members. It’s also the perfect role for me. It’s allowed me to leverage everything I’ve done previously.”

“I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and working with Mike for years,” says Adam Hoeflich, a partner at Bartlit Beck. “He’s not only been a trusted and collaborative partner to outside counsel, but also a thoughtful and strategic leader who tackles complex issues head-on. His ability to blend legal precision with business judgment sets him apart—you always know he’ll bring clarity, strategy, and steadiness to the table.”

Hendershot’s current role also allows him to engage with top executives of the company to shape strategy and use litigation as a business tool. He’s also helped modernize and streamline the legal operations.

“My varied background is a real asset in this role. I understand what’s possible and not possible,” he shares. “I recognize there are no slam dunks, and I understand the procedural posture of cases and what you need to do at each stop to position your case for success. That helps me drive internal discussions and shape strategy.”

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