Genevieve Tlustos is assistant editor of the Journal of The Missouri Bar and communications coordinator at The Missouri Bar.
Renee Henson and Naomi Buie have a lot of similarities. They were both personal trainers. They enjoy running and compete in marathons. They started their legal careers in the same practice area.
And, they look alike.
As Henson walked down the hallways of the University of Missouri School of Law in Columbia with her twin sister, Buie, she was regularly met with ooh’s and aah’s from her colleagues.
“People get a kick out of twins,” Henson said.
Although their career paths have been unique and sometimes winding, the two now find themselves in the same legal community, with overlapping litigation practices and shared experiences that have shaped their perspectives on the practice of law.
Childhood
Buie and Henson grew up in a family of eight in southern California, which led to a lot of hustle and bustle. Close friends and family had no issue telling the sisters apart, but others mixed them up.
“We were always a package deal,” Buie said.
Being twins also provided the opportunity for shenanigans. Once in high school, they swapped classes — and got caught. Another time in middle school, Buie wanted to avoid a date and convinced Henson to go in her place. 
“I don’t think he knew what was happening, but I do remember he was referring to me as Naomi and I had to remind myself, ‘Oh yes, that’s me,’” Henson said. Growing up, their mom told Henson she should be a lawyer since she was feisty and argued with people. While Henson doesn’t cite it as her inspiration for becoming a lawyer, it occurred to her afterwards that maybe her mom saw something in her.
Buie never received that message growing up.
“I had a very difficult time imagining myself as an attorney because I didn’t think I was the type of person that would make a good attorney,” Buie said.
When Buie started seriously contemplating law school as an adult, she learned there are different types of lawyers and personalities that can help serve clients and be successful in the legal field.
Journey to J.D.
The twins’ career interests have spanned several areas, overlapping at times — not by conscious effort, but because of shared interests and their influence on each other.
Both were personal trainers early in their careers before their paths diverged.
Henson was a personal trainer for around five years but eventually became bored with the day-to-day monotony. While she liked working with her clients and still keeps in touch with some of them, she decided she wanted to do more.
She went to Columbia College, at first interested in medical school because she felt she could help people in a tangible way. After a few classes, she changed paths and considered law school for the first time.
“It seemed like a good option to me, because I would still be helping people,” Henson said.
She graduated from the University of Missouri School of Law and was admitted to The Missouri Bar in 2018.
Meanwhile, Buie became a structural firefighter and wildland fire medic in Alaska, where she was flown in by helicopter to fires in the boreal forest. She earned “rookie of the year” and cites her firefighting time as a significant learning experience.
“It was the pinnacle of learning self-efficacy and learning what I could really do and accomplish if I worked hard and strategized correctly,” Buie said.
Buie decided against a career in emergency services until retirement, though, due to the job’s extreme physical stress. At 37 years old, she made the choice to switch paths.
While Henson had considered becoming a personal trainer like Buie, the influence went the other way around for law school. Buie considered the idea of pursuing a law degree like her sister for several years.
As she educated herself more about the possibilities within the legal community, Buie was amazed by the versatility the profession offered. She realized she could help people, advocate for them in the legal profession, and fulfill her purpose. Using her skills and natural talents, she knew she could excel in the field.
In early 2020, Buie moved from Alaska to Missouri. She graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law and was admitted to The Missouri Bar in 2024.
Buie and Henson had similar experiences in law school. Buie was editor-in-chief of the UMKC Law Review, and Henson was the editor-in-chief of the University of Missouri’s Business, Entrepreneurship & Tax Law Review. Those experiences laid the foundation to help propel them to the next level — applying the skills they learned to their legal careers.
Henson is a professor at the University of Missouri School of Law, where her scholarship focuses on the intersection of artificial intelligence, products liability, and regulatory frameworks. She previously worked at Stinson LLP doing commercial litigation, focusing on products liability and intellectual property litigation.
Buie now practices in the same area of law, business and commercial litigation, at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner in Kansas City.
Mistaken identity
When Buie first moved to Kansas City, she met people in the legal field who would mistake her for Henson. The confusion has happened in several situations, like Buie’s law school graduation ceremony and at the Kansas City Marathon.
“I love it. I get such a kick out of it,” Buie said. “… It happens all the time, and it’s led to great opportunities for me. It’s a natural ice breaker when I’m meeting people.”
Henson said she also thinks it’s fun and that she has been mistaken for Buie. It will continue to happen as Buie becomes more established in the legal profession, Henson added.
While the confusion has led to some opportunities, it has also shaped their desire to carve their own paths. Buie said she is trying to make a name for herself in the legal profession based on the work she produces and the skills she has.
Having support from each other has been crucial, the twins said. They were each able to support the other through law school during their regular phone calls. Now, living in the same state again, they talk more than once a day on average. Their husbands wonder how Henson and Buie don’t run out of things to say, they joked.
“It’s an embarrassing amount. You’re probably thinking, ‘How do they have so much time to talk?’” Henson said with a laugh.
While the twins have many similarities in their interests and personalities, when asked how they are different, only one major area came up — karaoke.
“Renee loves karaoke, which I find loathsome,” Buie said.
Resiliency
Both Henson and Buie credit resiliency as a main theme and reason they’ve reached this point in their lives and legal careers. They have pushed themselves — and each other — to seek out difficult experiences and overcome obstacles.
For example, the twins applied skills they learned from competing in marathons to their law school experiences — including discipline and overcoming hitting a wall mentally and physically.
But that resilience began even before the twins stepped foot at their law schools. They are first-generation college students and didn’t know any lawyers growing up, Henson said.
“I didn’t meet a Black professional until I was an adult, just to put things in context,” Buie said. “It was really hard for me to identify successful Black people and see (myself) as reaching those same heights.” 
Navigating the basics, such as applying to law school or navigating the on-campus interview process, was challenging, Buie said.
Having mentors to help young lawyers navigate these unknowns can be crucial in a legal career, Henson said. At a summer associate position at Stinson, where she would later work fulltime, she met her first mentors. They helped her learn how to be successful in the legal profession.
Henson now passes along knowledge about the detailed inner workings of law school and the legal profession to her students. The value of hard work and determination can’t be overemphasized, Henson added, noting that these skills apply to not only the practice of law, but also building professional relationships through mentorship.
“I tried to work as hard as I possibly could, in law school and in practice, and if I felt as though I left it all on the field, and that I gave it my very best, whatever that is, then that’s all you can do,” Henson said.
Reflection
The twins had to take risks when switching careers, whether from firefighting to law school or from practice to academia. But looking back on their professional lives, it has been worth it, they said.
The sisters have been positive influences in each other’s legal careers and said they’re grateful for where they are now.
“The impact of hard work, determination, perseverance, and grit,” Henson said. “That is our story.”