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Areas of Practice include:
Environmental
Insurance
Litigation
Personal Injury
Professional
Liability
Public Law & Policy
Stephen T. Helmer, Chair of the Firm's Executive Committee and Chair of
the Litigation Department, joined Mackenzie Hughes in 1982 and has been
a partner since 1989. He has extensive trial experience in State and Federal
Courts. Stephen has litigated and argued appeals at every level, including
in New York's highest court, the Court of Appeals. He also counsels various
clients on education, general business, commercial and management issues.
His practice concentrates in civil litigation including commercial disputes,
personal injury, product liability, medical malpractice and insurance
coverage. Stephen is often employed by other members of the Bar as an
arbitrator or as a mediator to resolve complex or difficult matters.
Stephen graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Le Moyne
College in 1979 and he received his Juris Doctorate from Albany Law School
of Union University in 1982. While a student, Stephen was a member of
Alpha Sigma Nu (Jesuit College Honor Society) and Pi Gamma Mu (Social
Sciences Honor Society.) He was admitted to the New York State and U.S.
District Court, Northern and Western Districts of New York in 1983. In
1996, Stephen was admitted to the U.S. Court of Appeals, and in 2003 he
was admitted to the United States Supreme Court.
Stephen is a member of the Onondaga County, New York State, and American
Bar Associations. He is a member of the prestigious International Association
of Defense Counsel and the Defense Research Institute. Stephen has been
listed in "Best Lawyers in America" for Commercial Litigation,
Insurance Law, Personal Injury Litigation and Product Liability Litigation
again for 2010, and for the three previous years. Since 2007 Stephen has
been listed as one of the 94 Best Lawyers in Central New York and one
of the New York Area's Best Lawyers. Stephen has also been listed as one
of New York's "Super Lawyers" for the past several years.
Stephen's past and present board memberships include the Le Moyne College
Board of Trustees, the Le Moyne College Board of Regents, the Le Moyne
College Board of Governors, the Town of Manlius Republican Party Committee,
the YMCA of Greater Syracuse, Eastern Branch, the Rosewood Nursing Home,
the Fayetteville-Manlius Little League, the Fayetteville-Manlius School
District Facilities Committee, the Fayetteville-Manlius Community Sports
Facility Association, and the Immaculate Conception Facilities Expansion
Committee and Parish Council. Stephen is counsel for the Immaculate Conception
Church and School in Fayetteville, New York.
In 2010, Stephen was appointed by New York State Bar Association President
Stephen Younger to his Task Force on the Future of the Legal Profession.
Stephen is a member of the Le Moyne College Athletic Hall of Fame for
his achievements in NCAA Division II baseball. During his four years on
the varsity team, he was named to several state and regional all-star
teams and twice played in the College World Series.
Stephen is often called on by the New York State Bar Association and
professional groups to lecture on such topics as "Expert Witnesses",
"Direct and Cross Examination", "Municipal Liability",
"Trial Practice", "Update on the Law", and "Summations."
He authored the "New York Supplement" to Basic Civil Litigation
by Herbert Feuerhake and served on the Editorial Advisory Board of New
York Motor Vehicle Accidents by Gary B. Pillersdorf, John F. Scarzafave
and J. Michael Hayes.
During six of Stephen's years with Mackenzie Hughes, he was an instructor
at University College of Syracuse University, where he taught Civil Practice
to paralegal students.
Stephen surgically donated bone marrow through The American Red Cross
to a family member with Leukemia. In 2005 Stephen and his wife Susan received
Catholic Charities President's Medallion for charitable work in the Central
New York community. Stephen and his family participated in the annual
Fresh Air Fund program by providing in-home summer vacations for inner-city
youths. Stephen also enjoys coaching and supporting various youth sports
programs such as baseball, basketball, soccer, women's lacrosse and Pop
Warner football. Stephen is also an avid reader of political biographies
and historical works, and, he is also a sports and movie trivia fan.
Click on this link to view a video:
Stephen
Helmer provided the keynote address to the Le Moyne College Student-Athletes
honored for academic achievement.
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