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One of the leading civil trial lawyers in Texas, William S. Helfand has amassed a significant record of success in the federal district and appellate courts in Texas as well as throughout the United States. He has tried well over 125 cases to juries and has also conducted many bench trials and arbitrations, many of which are of regional or national significance.

Mr. Helfand leads Chamberlain Hrdlicka’s labor, employment and civil rights litigation group.  Prior to joining the firm, he was a name partner in a Houston, Texas law firm.

Mr. Helfand’s labor and employment law practice focuses on the defense of both public and private employers throughout Texas and the United States. He has achieved considerable success in the defense of labor and employment cases of all types.

He is actively involved in labor, employment and civil rights and governmental liability training as well as training of employers and managers, governmental officials and employees. He speaks frequently on these topics to peer and professional groups such as the Texas State Bar, the Texas Municipal League and the Texas Council Risk Management Fund. In addition, he has served as an adjunct instructor for Sam Houston State University’s law enforcement and corrections management professional development programs.

Selected Reported Cases

Mr. Helfand is credited with more than 100 reported cases; among them:

• Wagner v. Bay City, Tex., 227 F.3d 316 (5th Cir. 2000 - Victory where Fifth Circuit reversed lower court to find police officers were entitled to qualified immunity, and that they did not act with deliberate indifference to risk of harm for denial of medical care claim. 
• Belk v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Bd. Of Ed., 269 F.3d 305 (4th Cir. 2001) - The Fourth Circuit  (en banc)  affirmed district court finding that CMS  had reached unitary status.  This was the first case ever in which a school district under desegregation orders was involuntarily forced into unitary status.
• Schaffer v. Benefit Plan of Exxon Corp., 151 F.Supp.2d 799 (S.D. Tex. 2001) - ERISA plan participants challenged Exxon Benefit Plan denial of benefits.  District court found that participant's failure to return to work justified termination by plan administrator. 
• Sokolow v. City of League City, 37 F.Supp.2d 940 (S.D. Tex.1999) - Former city attorney brought Title VII claim alleging religious discrimination and retaliation. Victory where Court found that attorney failed to prove link between offensive comments and city counsel's decision to terminate attorney. 
• Southwest Key v. Gil-Perez, 81 S.W.3d 269 ( Tex. 2002) - Obtained Texas Supreme Court decision finding home for boys not negligent where evidence did not support claim that failure to provide protective gear was cause of resident's injury. 
• Porter v. Exxon Mobil Corp., 246 F.Supp.2d 615 (S.D. Tex.2003) - Successfully defended Exxon Mobil in age discrimination action.  Court found non-age based reason for employee's termination. Employee violated business ethics policy prohibiting expense acceleration practices.
• Giunta v. Mobil  Corp. Employee Severance Plan, 205 F.Supp.2d 715 (S.D. Tex.2002) - Obtained favorable opinion against participant in employee severance plan challenging denial of severance benefits.  Participant not wanting to relocate was not a good reason for resignation, and thus no entitlement to severance warranted.
• Howard v. East Texas Baptist University, 122 S.W.3d 407 ( Tex. App. – Texarkana 2003) - Court found in favor of private university that recreational use statute applied and  university was not grossly negligent for injury to patron using diving board at swimming pool. 
• Vu v. ExxonMobil Corp., 98 S.W. 3d 318 ( Tex. App. – Houston [1^st Dist] 2003) - In Exxon Mobil wrongful discharge action, court  upheld summary judgment. 
• Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority v. Pitonyak, 84 S.W.3d 326 ( Tex. App. – Corpus Christie 2002) - Successfully defended river authority in Texas Torts Claim action surrounding condition and maintenance of river saltwater barrier alleged to have caused drowning of boaters.   
• Brown v. Blum, 9 S.W.3d 840 (Tex. App. – Houston [14^th Dist] 1999) - Victorious result obtained for voter who filed election contest to end discrimination in city's public employment and contracting.  Voter found to have standing after he had moved from city.

Seminars & Presentations

•  “Update on Governmental Immunity,” Harris County Judicial Conference, Austin, Teas, August 1, 2005.
• “Update on Governmental Immunity,” Harris County Judicial Conference, Austin, Teas, August 1, 2005
  “Individual Immunity Claims in Federal and State Courts,” Suing & Defending Governmental Entities, State Bar of Texas Professional Development Program, San Antonio, Texas, July 28-29, 2005.
• “Individual Immunity of Governmental Employees in State and Federal Lawsuits,” Suing & Defending Governmental Entities, State Bar of Texas Professional Development Program, Galveston, Texas, July 5-26, 2002.
• “Employment Law and the Hiring Process,” Texas Water Conservation Association Annual Meeting, Galveston, Texas, June 2002.
• “Interlocutory Appeals and Stays of Discovery,” Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool, 2001 Attorney Workshop, Austin, Texas, September 7, 2001.
• “Avoiding and Defending Workers’ Compensation Retaliation Claims” and “An Overview of Status Discrimination in the Workplace” Texas Council Risk Management Fund Program on Managing Risks Related to Employment, Dallas, Texas, March 27, 2001 and San Antonio, Texas, March 2002.
• “Texas Tort Claims Act Update,” Texas Council Risk Management Fund and Texas Water authorities Risk Fund Annual Risk Management Meeting, Austin, Texas, March 2000.
• “Status Discrimination” and “Worker’s Compensation Retaliation Claims” Texas Council Risk Management Fund Liability Workshop, Dallas, Texas, March 1999 and Houston, Texas, March 2000.
• “Relationship Between an Inter-Governmental Risk Pool and Retained Counsel,” Texas Municipal League Annual Attorneys’ Conference, Austin, Texas August 1999.
• “Defending Law Enforcement Civil Rights Lawsuits,” Suing & Defending Governmental Entities, State Bar of Texas Professional Development Program, Houston, Texas, May 14-15, 1998.
• “Legal Issues for Small Jails,” Sam Houston State University Law Enforcement Management Institute, Huntsville, Texas, August 1995 and October 1997.
• “Legal Issues for Jail Personnel” Sam Houston State University, South Padre Island, Texas, August 1994; May 1995; May 1996; May 1998.
• “Minimizing Risk: Law Enforcement Lawsuits and Claims,” Texas Municipal League Annual Conference and Exhibition, San Antonio, November 1993.
• “Reducing Risk and Handling Litigation in Law Enforcement,” F.B.I. National Academy Associates State Training Program Galveston, Texas, August 1993.
• “Legal Issues for Jail Personnel,” Sam Houston State University, Bandera, Texas, November 1992.
• “Qualified Immunity,” Texas Municipal League Risk Management in Law Enforcement Seminar, San Antonio, Texas, June 1990.
• “Qualified Immunity in State and Federal Litigation,” Texas Municipal League Risk Management in Law Enforcement Seminar, Dallas, Texas, May 1989.

News

• Bill Helfand and Kathryn Kahle Talk Termination
  2005

Articles & Publications

• “When Free Speech Isn’t,” The Corporate Counsel, July 2005.
• “Free Speech is Not Always Free: Employee Speech Has Its Limits,” Houston Business Journal, April 2005.
• “Absence of Malice: The New ‘Objective Reasonableness’ Standard in Excessive Force Cases,” Legal Insight, September 1989.
• “Identification of the Municipal Policymaker and Defenses to Municipal Liability in Civil Rights Cases,” Legal Insight, April 1989.
• “ Texas Legislature Expands Recovery for Victims of Theft,” Legal Insight, May 1988.

Professional Affiliations

• Houston Bar Association
• Bar Association of the Fifth Federal Circuit
• American Inns of Court
• The Federalist Society
• Airlifeline , Angel Flight Member