Gregory D. Helmer is one of the most experienced employment and consumer-protection lawyers in California. Having practiced for more than 30 years, he has represented clients at trial, appeals, arbitration and mediation.  He has won jury verdicts and has obtained millions of dollars in settlement recovery for his clients.  He has experience before the Courts of Appeal and before the United States Supreme Court. He is one of the founding members of Helmer Friedman LLP, where his reputation as an aggressive and thorough advocate is integral to the firm’s successes in representing its clients.

Mr. Helmer is experienced in representing high-profile clients in the sports and entertainment industries and has frequently been interviewed in the media about his cases and about legal issues in general.

Mr. Helmer was the lead attorney in representing two Major League Soccer (“MLS”) coaches in their reverse discrimination lawsuit against an MLS team. The case was profiled on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.

Mr. Helmer was counsel of record in the precedent-setting United States Supreme Court case of Lightfoot v. Cendant Mortgage Corp., in which he represented a homeowner who had been fraudulently foreclosed upon by her bank and by Fannie Mae.

He has a wealth of experience representing whistleblowers in court cases and before the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.  He has represented executives in False Claims Act and qui tam claims, both in court and in conjunction with governmental authorities.

He has represented employees at every level, including executives, directors, supervisors, managers, clerical, and rank and file employees. He has represented professors, doctors, nurses, and other professionals.

Mr. Helmer was the lead attorney in an elder abuse and neglect case against a nursing home in which an elderly resident died because the facility withheld her medication. He has also represented families whose elderly loved ones have been victimized by financial abuse and theft by caregivers and stockbrokers.

Mr. Helmer was lead counsel in the trial of a human trafficking victim who had been brought to the United States and victimized both sexually and financially.

Mr. Helmer has a wealth of experience in litigating class actions across the spectrum of employment issues, ranging from wage theft, to meal and rest periods, to failure to pay overtime. He has also litigated consumer class actions, including a case in which a pet food company allegedly killed thousands of pet dogs and cats by selling pet food laced with toxic compounds.

He has represented pregnant employees, disabled employees, older workers, and employees of all genders, races, national origins, and ethnicities.

He has represented transgender individuals who have been subjected to violence and violations of their civil rights. He has represented both women and men in cases of sexual assault, sexual harassment and discrimination.

Mr. Helmer received his J.D. degree from UCLA School of Law in 1990.  At UCLA, Mr. Helmer was on the editorial board of the UCLA Law Review.  Prior to founding Helmer Friedman LLP, he worked in the employment law department of Paul Hastings, where he represented some of the nation’s largest employers.  He also served as a legal intern at the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Helmer is Member of the Bar of the United States Supreme Court, the United States District Courts for the Central and Eastern District of California, and the State Bar of California.

Mr. Helmer is on the Board of Directors of Bet Tzedek Legal Services, a non-profit organization that provides legal services to those who cannot afford them, do not have access to them and who need them the most.

Mr. Helmer has served on the finance committees of numerous political campaigns.

He and his daughter, Sydney, have volunteered for organizations committed to criminal justice reform and dog rescue. Mr. Helmer currently serves as a Board Member for Paws for Life K9 Rescue.

Mr. Helmer has been repeatedly recognized by the legal community and has been selected as a California “Super Lawyer” for many successive years.

The Best Lawyers in America® 2023 edition recognized Gregory D. Helmer for his outstanding work in Employment Law.