Maryland Bar Bulletin
Publications : Bar
Bulletin
Helfrich
Nominated 2004 – 2005 MSBA President
By Janet Stidman Eveleth
Cornelius D. Helfrich, a
solo practitioner from Harford County, has been named President-elect
nominee of the Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA) for 2004-2005. He
will run for election this June during the MSBA Annual Meeting, along with
current Treasurer J. Michael Conroy, now Secretary-elect nominee, and
Edward J. Gilliss, Treasurer-elect nominee. Harry S. Johnson, a partner in
the law firm Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, LLP, will be installed as MSBA
President at the 2003 MSBA Annual Meeting.
A consummate legal
professional, Helfrich is known for his dedication to the practice of law
and his devotion to community service. This future MSBA president has been
recognized for his outstanding pro bono service, professionalism and
civility in Maryland's legal community. He is also quite popular and
appreciated by his clients, reflected in a marvelous collection of client
thank you notes and other memorabilia displayed throughout his office.
Helfrich enjoys being a
lawyer and finds his profession most rewarding because it enables him to
help other people. “It offers plenty of opportunities to truly help
people, which is why most lawyers go into it in the first place,” he
states. He sees the same rewards and benefits in MSBA. “The Association
helps the public and Maryland lawyers, which makes involvement in MSBA
most rewarding.”
Helfrich finds practicing
law as a solo quite rewarding too. While he engages in a general practice,
his primary areas of law include estate planning, probate, criminal and
district court work. This blends in well with his work as an Equity Master
and affords him flexible hours to balance family time, a priority for
Helfrich. “I have always been able to put my family first,” he notes.
“That's why I became a solo, so I wouldn't miss family events. That's very
important to me.” Thus, he has effectively adapted his career to his
family, balancing a successful solo practice and personal life.
Helfrich is the first
true solo to serve as MSBA President in over ten years, following Roger A.
Perkins in 1991. He is very happy being a solo but is quick to admit that
it isn't always easy. “There are a lot of rewards,” he acknowledges, “but
it is tough.” This is one of the reasons Helfrich sought this top
leadership role - because he thought “MSBA solo members needed a voice,
and it has been a while.”
“I have a good grasp of
what it is like to be a solo practitioner and how it relates to roughly 65
percent of our members,” he states. “We see things differently, engage in
different areas of practice and are found in different areas of the state.
I understand that most solos are relatively lonely at some point and need
help. Many don't know where to turn. I want solos, and all attorneys, to
turn to MSBA and know that MSBA is there to help them.”
Helfrich brings a wealth
of educational and legal expertise to MSBA's top leadership role. A
graduate of the Wharton School of Finance & Commerce at the University of
Pennsylvania and the University of Maryland School of Law, he received an
LLM from George Washington University's National Law Center. He served as
an instructor at the Harford Community College for ten years, has
completed MICPEL's 80-Hour Mediation Course and continues to serve as a
faculty member for MSBA's Professionalism Course.
In addition to his work
as a sole practitioner, Helfrich has served as an Assistant State's
Attorney in Howard County and Baltimore City and was affiliated with the
law firm of Byron, Moylan & Urner in Hagerstown. In 1991, Helfrich was
appointed a Standing Equity Master for the Circuit Court for Harford
County, and balances this caseload with his solo practice. He is admitted
to practice before the Court of Appeals of Maryland, the Federal District
Court, Maryland, and the United States Supreme Court.
Helfrich most recently
served as MSBA Secretary. In addition to serving on MSBA's Board of
Governors and its Executive Committee, he was very active in the
Association's General Practice and Law Practice Management Sections, and
is now quite involved in the Solo and Small Firm Practice Section. He is
the recipient of the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service's 1989 Pro Bono
Award for Outstanding Service and the Solo and Small Firm Section's
esteemed David Hjortsberg Award recognizing outstanding civility and
professionalism in a solo attorney.
In the larger legal
community, Helfrich is quite active in the American Bar Association and is
involved with the ABA's Economics and Law Practice and General Practice
Sections. A past President of the Harford County Bar Association, he
serves on MICPEL's Board of Trustees and the Harford County Bar
Foundation's Board of Directors. He is involved in a long list of
community organizations, too.
Helfrich enjoys MSBA
activities and finds the Association of great value to Maryland lawyers.
“There are many different interests in our contemporary legal profession,
and all fit neatly somewhere under MSBA's tent,” he explains. “These
interests get filtered out under MSBA's umbrella and each is advantageous
to lawyers.” As an example, Helfrich cites the Association's “solo”
initiative. In 1991, then President Roger Perkins created a Solo Task
Force to focus on the needs of this large segment of the Association.
“Many of the task force's recommendations made it through the gauntlet and
have been implemented,” he reports.
“This is the way it is
supposed to work and it did,” he adds. “It happens in other segments of
the Bar, too.” However, this is only one value of MSBA. “Look at our
strong diversity, great mentoring opportunities, camaraderie and excellent
meetings,” he exclaims.
“We are also a unified
voice on a number of key issues,” asserts Helfrich. “Look at something
like the multidisciplinary practice of law, which is a divided issue
amongst the Bar. As a group, we hash things out thoroughly and make
educated and insightful decisions on positions.”
Helfrich also finds the
Maryland Bar Journal's theme issues on specific areas of the law
particularly helpful. “It's difficult to always make these issues
interesting,” he notes, “but the Journal succeeds, giving all
practitioners, especially solos, an excellent general overview of various
legal issues.” He is also impressed with MSBA's Email Lists. “All a member
needs to do is post a question and there will be many answers by the end
of the day.”
Helfrich appreciates the
far-reaching impact MSBA has on Maryland's legal community and considers
it an honor to serve as MSBA President. As he prepares for this leadership
role, he expects to “stay the course.” He is grateful for his family's
support of his commitment to MSBA and would like to be remembered as an
effective leader who gave 110 percent.
