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 listserves. “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.