Member Spotlight: Nell Graham Sale
Nell Graham Sale
Growing up in Charleston, WV, Nell played competitive tennis from the ages of 12 to 18, both in regional and national girls’ events. She regrets that her college had no women’s tennis at that time, but after graduating and being a youth of the 60s, she became active in anti-war politics and women’s liberation.
For over 20 years, Nell had a gap during which she played little tennis, instead finishing law school and raising two children. She then moved to Delaware and began a legal career in 1990 that concentrated on taxation, estate planning, estate administration, business succession, disability planning and elder law. She later moved to New Mexico and helped form an all-women’s law firm.
Nell has this quote on her professional page, www.pbwslaw.com: “Every day I experience the gift of being invited to help with obstacles faced by our clients and their families--whether it be taxes, hopes for the next generation, debilitating illness and disability, housing, or, of course, death. I consider this gift to be a privilege of my work.”
Nell is a Certified Elder Law Attorney, she served on the Board of the Special Needs Alliance, and she received the 2012 award from the Albuquerque Community Foundation for Excellence in Charitable Gift Planning. Her community work led her to chair a 2017 successful capital campaign for Paws and Stripes, Inc, serving military veterans, and to be one of the founders of the New Mexico Planned Giving Roundtable. She is an avid supporter of First Serve New Mexico which provides tennis opportunities to public school youth in Santa Fe.
“Every day I experience the gift of being invited to help with obstacles faced by our clients and their families—whether it be taxes, hopes for the next generation, debilitating illness and disability, housing, or, of course, death. I consider this gift to be a privilege of my work.”
While practicing law in Delaware and New Mexico, Nell again began playing league tennis on a regular basis. When she retired from full-time practice in 2017, Nell decided that she wanted a USTA national ranking, so she played her first Category 1 tournament. Through that play she reconnected with Chris Grant, a fellow player from her teenage years, and they played several Category I and II tournaments together in 2018.
When asked about returning to tournament competition after so many years, Nell said she was pleased to see so many women from past pros to never-been pros who had amazing skills to succeed as they aged. She quickly learned that she could lower the tension in her strings to get more pop on the ball. She has worked to improve her lobs and drop shots, causing dismay among her younger opponents in Santa Fe.
In May 2021, Nell encouraged several of her younger New Mexico friends to join her at the La Jolla hard courts. She encouraged them not to be disappointed by a loss but to see the impressive skills of some of the players. Her advice to players new to or returning to tournament play is to Learn, Enjoy, and Admire, with the 90s players as the showpiece.
NWTO congratulates Nell on a successful legal career and her outstanding community work. As a member of NWTO, she has shared her love of tennis and tournament competition with others in her area, growing the number of players at our tournaments. In addition, Nell has agreed to write periodic articles for our newsletter, sharing charitable-giving information with our members. Thank you, Nell.
