Freehold, New Jersey · civil practice — small claims, Special Civil, landlord/tenant
Attorney advertising.
Now open — officially launching September 8, 2026
I’m Bonnie B. Henderson, Esq. I practice from Freehold / Monmouth County. This office is a civil practice first — New Jersey small claims, Special Civil Part, landlord/tenant, and related limited-scope civil work — for people who earn too much for legal aid and too little for a traditional retainer. Family work is a smaller part of the practice, taken when it fits.
Flat-fee civil practice: small claims, Special Civil Part, landlord/tenant, and related limited-scope work. You hire the office for a defined piece of work. If the case becomes contested, we tell you before the fee changes.
Retainers are required for anything contested. I take contested matters on a very limited basis.
I take all matters based on my case load and whether the case resonates with me. A meeting alone does not establish an attorney-client relationship. That relationship begins only after I have accepted the case and we have both signed a written retainer agreement.
Practice areas
You hire me for a defined piece of work. If the case becomes contested, I tell you before the fee changes.
Civil
Money disputes that fit New Jersey’s Special Civil Part, including the Small Claims section. Demand letters, one pleading, one appearance when I take them. Car-accident negotiation and contract disputes that fit this office. No invented appearance prices — published limited-scope ranges live on Fees.
Housing
I generally stand with tenants. I will still represent a landlord when I believe the eviction is warranted and the case is one I can stand behind. Landlord/tenant sits in Special Civil Part in New Jersey. Security-deposit recovery has published fees.
Small business
A published LLC fee, then other small-business contracts quoted case by case. Limited-scope drafting and entity setup. Not outside general counsel on retainer.
Discrimination
This is work I am passionate about: advocating for people who were treated unfairly because they are women, because they are transgender, because of race or disability, or because of another protected characteristic. Work, housing, school, or a public place. I will say so if the facts do not fit, or if you need a larger civil-rights team.
A little family work
Family is a smaller part of this practice — not the main brand. Uncontested settlement drafting, agreed modifications, and related limited-scope family work when caseload and resonance allow. Core work is civil, small claims, Special Civil, and landlord/tenant.
How this office works
Civil matters get a written retainer that lists the scope. Family matters that I do take get a written Rule 5:3-5 retainer. If the other side contests, a custody evaluation is ordered, or assets need valuation, the flat fee ends or converts to hourly ($275/hr through December 8, 2026; $350/hr thereafter).
A free 30-minute phone consultation is available by appointment at 732-606-4516. A longer 45-minute consult (video or in person) is $125. A meeting, by itself, does not create an attorney-client relationship. Advice, drafting, and filing do not start until I have accepted the case and a written retainer is signed. This website is not the contract.
Each fee has a defined scope on the fees page. Court costs and filing fees are extra. If the work leaves that scope, it is quoted again before I continue. Eligible clients may receive a published discount on attorney work fees — see Discounts.
The lawyer
I’m a fellow mom in the Monmouth County community with a passion for advocacy, looking to represent other humans (and sometimes entities or animals) in a variety of matters.
That advocacy, for me, often means civil and housing work, standing with people experiencing discrimination, and — when it fits — limited family help for other parents. Seven years as an attorney. Eight years as a professor. Admitted in New Jersey and North Carolina. The market for this practice is New Jersey.