Christopher Helt

Christopher W. Helt
Born Chicago, Illinois
Education BA and JD
Alma mater Loyola University Chicago
Occupation Immigration attorney
Years active 1988 to present
Employer The Helt Law Group
Website heltlawgroup.com

Christopher Helt is a Chicago immigration attorney and litigator. He is the founder of The Helt Law Group and teaches at Loyola University of Chicago.

Early life, education and career

Christopher Helt was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Helt had an entirely Jesuit education, completing his secondary education at Loyola Academy, graduating cum laude from Loyola University Chicago, and earning his law degree from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.[1] Helt then worked for a Chicago law firm from 1988 until forming The Helt Law Group in 1994.[2]

Early litigation

Helt represented retired Army colonel Richard J. Thomas in a 1997 lawsuit against his wife that claimed her smoking was a violation of the Clean Air Act, urging the judge to "find that secondhand smoke shouldn't be permitted in the home because it's a toxic pollutant".[3][4] The suit was dropped when the colonel's wife agreed to quit smoking.[5] Helt also represented former Cook County sheriff’s deputy Edward Suchetka in a 1996 lawsuit against the Chicago Police Department for wrongful arrest, which was dropped when the police agreed to issue a formal apology.[6]

In 1999, Helt represented an ousted public school principal in a lawsuit against the Chicago school board. He stated of the case, "They move principals around like it's a Barnum & Bailey circus … When there's a problem, they blame it on the principals. The principals have become the Oliver Norths for everything that's wrong with Chicago public schools." The Chicago Tribune wrote that, in response to the suit, CPS CEO Paul Vallas said he would "declare an educational crisis at [the school] and seek the permanent removal of the principal and the local school council".[7]

Immigration law

Helt later turned his focus to immigration law, representing clients in immigration, deportation, asylum, and refugee cases. One precedent set via Helt's in court arguments, according to the Chicago Tribune, was that "the lack of medical attention available to an autistic child from Pakistan rose to the level of persecution of a protected class". Nadya Labi wrote in Time Magazine that the case "challenged the precepts of Immigration law". Helt has argued for children with cerebral palsy to remain in the US due to the differences in the availability of medical help between the US and Pakistan.[8][9][10] Other cases have included clients facing death if returned to their home countries, such as Montenegro during the Yugoslav Wars.[11] In 2003, Helt was featured on the cover of Chicago Lawyer Magazine in an issue entitled "New Era of Immigration Law".[12]

Helt was featured in Sree Nallamothu's documentary Patriot Acts, which chronicled the stories of people kept in immigration limbo due to post-9/11 immigration policies. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune about his thoughts on the film's subject-matter, Helt stated that

"Immigration is controlled, in my opinion, by politics and economics ... If you have a slow economy, then you don't have amnesty laws. And if the politics are bad, you have an anti-immigration sentiment out there. The war effort may collaterally have some anti-immigration repercussions. [It's] ironic, we're a nation of immigrants."[13]

In 2007, the Chicago Reporter wrote, "Helt is among an increasing number of attorneys who are bringing cases to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit to challenge the decisions made by Chicago immigration judges."[14] In 2013, Helt traveled to Pakistan to assist in a client’s immigration case and appeared before the National Press Club of Pakistan. While there he appeared as a guest on A Morning with Farah, discussing the case in addition to US immigration policy.[15]

Academia

Helt is an adjunct faculty member at his alma mater Loyola University of Chicago. He has also held symposias at the school in order to lecture on current events surrounding terrorism and immigration law.[16]

References

  1. ↑ "Christopher William Helt, Managing Member". Lawyer.com. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  2. ↑ "About Christopher Helt". Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  3. ↑ Matt O'Connor (August 22, 1997). "Husband Wants Court To Snuff Out His Wife's Habit". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Husband suing smoking wife changes mind, twice". CNN. Associated Press. September 2, 1997. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  5. ↑ DIRK JOHNSON (October 13, 1997). "She Smoked and He Sued; She Quit and They Both Won". New York Times. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  6. ↑ Mark Brown (February 24, 1996). "Police Apologize for Arrest, S.W. Sider Drops Lawsuit". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  7. ↑ Michael Martinez and Todd Lighty (August 27, 1999). "Ousted Principal Sues Chicago School Board". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  8. ↑ Nadya Labi (October 16, 2000). "Does This Boy Deserve Asylum?". Time Magazine. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  9. ↑ Flynn McRoberts (November 18, 2003). "Muslim exodus from U.S. unravels tightknit enclaves". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  10. ↑ Julie Deardorff (February 21, 2001). "Mom Wins Asylum For Son With Autism". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  11. ↑ Don Babwin (May 18, 1999). "Serb army deserter faces deportation in Chicago". NandO Times. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  12. ↑ "New Era of Immigration Law". Chicago Lawyer Magazine. August 2003. p. Cover.
  13. ↑ Robert K. Elder (March 26, 2004). "Chicago-based 'Patriot Acts' shows strength of human spirit". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  14. ↑ Sarah Karp (September 27, 2007). "Winning Asylum". The Chicago Reporter. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  15. ↑ Farah Hussain. "Christopher Helt Esq Interview". A Morning with Farah. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  16. ↑ "News, Kudos and Announcements" (PDF). In Solidarity: Department of Sociology. Spring 2010. p. 6. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
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