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| Sally C. Helppie, Of Counsel, Dallas |
 Sally C. Helppie is a 1985 graduate of the UCLA School of Law, who focuses her practice on Entertainment Law and commercial litigation. She recently joined the law firm Tipton Jones as Of Counsel to develop its Entertainment Law section. Previously, she was a partner at Johnson & Wortley (f/k/a Johnson & Gibbs) and Bell Nunnally & Martin.
Sally represents producers, financiers, writers and actors. She currently is handling legal work for the new Mel Gibson feature film, "Edge of Darkness," and last year negotiated and drafted the financing documents for "The Young Victoria," starring Emily Blunt and produced by Martin Scorcese. She also serves as legal counsel on a number of smaller projects.
In addition to Entertainment law, Sally is a seasoned trial attorney, whose litigation work emphasizes contracts and business torts, software disputes, employment litigation, landlord/tenant and other real estate disputes, trademark and copyright issues, and arbitration (NASD and AAA). Her practice encompasses all aspects of commercial trials and appeals, and she has appeared numerous times before the state and federal courts and various arbitration panels. Sally has been lead counsel in hundreds of cases on behalf of Fortune 500 companies, smaller businesses and individuals. |
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Education
UCLA School of Law, J.D. - 1985
National Moot Court Team; Moot Court Executive Board; Distinguished Advocate Awards; Recipient, Melvin Belli Advocacy Scholarship; Roscoe Pound Moot Court Winner; Teaching Assistant, Legal Research and Writing.
California State University at Northridge, B.A. (Summa Cum Laude) - 1982.
Kappa Tau Alpha Honor Society; Sigma Delta Chi Journalism Fraternity; Competitive Forensics Team (state and national awards for debate and speech); Best Writer Award, Department of Journalism, 1982
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Admitted to Practice
Texas – 1985
Admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court; the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of the United States District Courts of Texas; the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit; and the United States Tax Court
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Activities and Memberships
President, Sabbatical Pictures, LLC, which produced the action thriller, "Exit Speed." The feature film premiered at the Cannes Film Market in May and will be released in the U.S. beginning September 5th. See http://www.exitspeed.net/. Sabbatical Pictures' second film, "The Beacon," which was shot entirely in Texas, is in post production in Los Angeles.
Member, Sports & Entertainment Law Sections of the State Bar of Texas and the Dallas Bar Association
Vice Chair, Business Litigation Section of the Dallas Bar Association
Barrister: Patrick E. Higginbotham American Inn of Court (2000 - 2003)
Named to Dallas Business Journal’s Who’s Who list of top Dallas litigators (August, 1993)
City of Carrollton’s Businesswoman of the Year (1994)
Member: National Order of Barristers (1985-Present)
State Bar of Texas (Member, Sports and Entertainment Law Sections)
DBA Judiciary Committee (Past co-chair, Judicial Evaluation Poll subcommittee and Bench Book subcommittee)
DBA Fee Disputes Committee
Speaker: various seminars on ethics, trial issues and feature film production
Certified substitute teacher and Mock Trial coach: CFBISD
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Honors and Awards
Selected by Texas Monthly as a "Super Lawyer" (2005, 2006, and 2007)
Named a "Super Lawyer" in the Corporate Counsel edition of Super Lawyers 2008, listed as one of the top attorneys in business litigation in the United States
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