Miller Nash LLP partner, Chris Helmer, was honored with the Oregon State Bar 2022 Edwin J. Peterson Professionalism Award. This prestigious award recognizes lawyers who consistently demonstrate integrity and honesty, and hold themselves to the highest ethical and professional standards. Award recipients foster the respect and trust of other lawyers, clients, members of the community, and the judicial system, and encourage professional conduct from others.
“We congratulate Chris on this well-deserved honor,” said Kieran Curley, managing partner of Miller Nash. “Receiving this award is a significant achievement and recognizes her commitment to the legal profession and dedication to clients.”
Chris, known for her presence in the courtroom, professionalism, and approachability, has blazed the way for women lawyers in Oregon. She derives personal fulfillment from building productive, working relationships with colleagues, clients, judges, and opposing counsel. Over the years, Chris has served as a mentor to countless law students and new lawyers, helping them develop their practice in a way that reflects their passion.
About Chris Helmer
Chris primarily handles international and maritime matters—both litigation and transactional. She has arbitrated international cases before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), and many other arbitral institutions, as well as handled countless U.S. cross-border and maritime disputes. With over 40 years of litigation experience, she is in a unique position to assist clients in contract drafting and assessing contractual risks. Chris works with clients in a variety of industries and has negotiated and documented hundreds of simple to complex contracts dealing with licensing and product sales, custom manufacturing abroad, agency and distribution, vessel construction, charter parties, foreign joint ventures, letters of credit, and cross-border financing. If a business plan or problem has a foreign component, Chris has likely dealt with it.
Chris’s commitment to the practice of law includes service on numerous boards, including being the first woman appointed by the Oregon Supreme Court to serve on the Oregon State Board of Bar Examiners, the first woman to be elected to the Oregon State Bar Board of Governors, and serving in multiple leadership positions in the International Bar Association. She also serves as an adjunct professor at Lewis & Clark Law School.
Chris has been selected for inclusion on the Oregon Super Lawyers list and recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® in Admiralty and Maritime Law and Commercial Litigation. She was also recognized as “Lawyer of the Year—USA” in Admiralty and Maritime by Lawyer Monthly and selected to the international edition of Who’s Who Legal: Litigation. Chris received her B.A. from Washington State University, her J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School, and her LL.M. from Columbia University in international law.
