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OUR STAFF
RICHARD A. (RICK) HELM - Email
phone: 907.865.0803 • fax: 907.279.4851
Richard A. (Rick) Helm graduated with an A.B. in economics
from the University of California, Davis in 1967 and
received his J.D. in 1970 from Hastings College of the Law,
University of California in 1970. In law school he served on
the Moot Court Board and graduated a little below the top 10
% of his class.
Rick was admitted to the bar in Alaska in 1970 and is
presently a member of the bars of Alaska, the Federal
District Court for the District of Alaska, the Ninth Circuit
Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. He is
a member of the American Bar Association, the Anchorage Bar
Association and the American Trial Lawyers Association. He
was listed for several years in Who's Who in American Law.
He was a member of the committee of law examiners for the
State of Alaska from 1971 to 1980 and chairman of that
committee from 1974 to 1980.
He practiced with Burr, Pease & Kurtz in Anchorage
from 1970 to 1985, becoming a full partner (stockholder in
the professional corporation) in 1972. He was retired from
1985 to 1990. He then resumed practice, of counsel to Burr,
Pease & Kurtz, from 1990 to September of 1993, when he
became of counsel to Biss & Holmes in Anchorage. In June
of 1995, he opened a solo practice, which became Helm &
Associates in May of 1998. In April 2003, Bruce Bookman and
he formed a new partnership, Bookman & Helm, LLP.
In the early days of his practice he was largely involved
in the defense of personal injury cases including a
substantial practice in aviation accident defense, his
practice also included forming corporations and limited
partnerships, divorce, contracts and collection work. His
practice evolved to be limited primarily to litigation. The
areas involved in litigation were aviation accidents,
medical malpractice, legal malpractice and construction
litigation. He has tried numerous cases including airplane
crashes, medical malpractice wrongful death and other
injuries, the defense of lawyers claimed to have violated
securities law and represented the general contractor of the
Anchorage Sports Arena against the Municipality of
Anchorage. Since returning to practice, he has assisted the
State of Alaska in the collection of $30 million from an
investment advisor on a claim of negligence and an
additional $3 million from the State Insurance Guaranty
Fund. He has significant appellate experience with
approximately fifteen decisions from the Alaska Supreme
Court and the Ninth Circuit. He spent 3 years in the Exxon
Valdez Oil Spill Litigation.
Recently, Rick was retained by the State of Alaska to be
its lead counsel in a claim by the State against the Bank of
America. The State claimed that the Bank mishandled
municipal bond funds and violated laws regarding unclaimed
property. The bank, represented by a national and
international law firm, denied the allegations. After a
year-and-a-half of discovery, negotiations and argument, the
Bank settled with the State by paying $35.6 million.
Rick's present practice consists of the representation of
individuals injured by the wrongdoing of others, real estate
litigation, medical malpractice claims and aviation
litigation.
BRUCE A. BOOKMAN - Email
phone: 907.865.0801 • fax: 907.279.4851
Bruce Bookman graduated from the University of California
Boalt Hall Law School in June of 1967 after attending UC
Berkeley as an undergraduate. He served as a law clerk to
Alaska Supreme Court Justice George Boney from December 1969
to January 1971. He then served as an assistant public
defender in Fairbanks and Anchorage, which gave him the
opportunity to conduct many major felony trials.
He has been in private civil practice since 1973 doing
business litigation, including divorce cases involving
property division. He has handled a number of cases
involving the valuation of a business in the divorce
context. In 1979, he joined Perkins Coie's Alaska office and
his practice focused on larger cases. He represented
Reichhold Chemicals in Vertecs v. Reichhold, 671 P.2d 1273
and 661 P.2d 619 dealing with common law indemnity. He has
tried products liability cases including a back hoe case and
an airplane crash case. Ehredt v. DeHavilland, 705 P.2d 446
and 913. For 5 years he defended a chemical manufacturer in
the Crown Point Litigation, a mass toxic tort case which was
perhaps the largest case to be handled in Anchorage until
the Exxon Valdez oil spill cases. He has also handled a
number of construction cases involving Alaska village
housing and soil remediation. He represented an equipment
manufacturer in Smith v. Borg Warner, 993 P.2d 436. In
addition, he has taken a number of plaintiff cases in
personal injury, attorney malpractice, and unfair
competition. He has served as a discovery master for State
and Federal Courts, and has conducted CLE's on civil
discovery for NBI and NITA. He has also served as a mediator
and arbitrated twelve Dalkon Shield cases. He served on the
Alaska Judicial Conduct Commission for 4 years and was
elected to the Board of Governors of the Alaska Bar. He is a
member of the Alaska and California Bar Associations and is
listed in the Best Lawyers of America. He is a member and
past president of the Alaska Chapter of the American Board
of Trial Advocates. He is now a Certified Divorce Financial
Analyst, incorporating cash flow analyses into marital
estate divisions.
LYNDA M. HILE - Email
phone: 907.865.0804 • fax: 907.279.4851
Lynda has been in the legal field for 17 years and has
experience in personal injury, medical malpractice defense,
employment law, real estate, admiralty law, oil and gas
litigation, and bankruptcy. In 1994, Lynda worked for
Partnow Sharrock & Tindall, P.C. which represented the
State of Alaska in major oil royalty litigation reaching
settlements exceeding $1.2 billion. A few of Lynda's key
responsibilities during the oil and gas litigation included
scheduling, organizing and maintaining a database for over
150 video and stenographic depositions taken throughout the
United States and London, creating and coordinating a system
for deposition trial exhibit excerpt designations, and
assisting in review and document composition of a large
document production. Current primary responsibilities at
Bookman & Helm, LLP include: compiling, organizing and
maintaining databases for medical and other records; trial
preparation; preparing requests and responses to discovery;
assisting clients through the litigation process; routine
motion practice and many administrative tasks.
MARY REARDEN - Email
phone: 907.865.0802 • fax: 907.279.4851
Mary has a BA in Psychology from UAA. She has 8 years of
legal experience as a legal secretary, an office manager and
as a paralegal. She worked as the Assistant to the Director
of the UAA Criminal Justice Center, as a paralegal for Bruce
Bookman, John Reese and for Burr Pease and Kurtz. She also
has experience with contract bookkeeping and property
management.
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