650.328.9500
Mark Helm, Esq.
Arbitrator, Mock Trials, Special Master
Download Bio Contact Case ManagerMark B. Helm, Esq. has served as a full-time neutral in more than 75 matters following a 37-year complex litigation practice at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP. He is a member of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals. As an arbitrator, he brings sharp analytical skills and strong substantive experience, especially in matters involving asset management firms, entertainment/media, trade secrets, lawyers’ liability, and corporate governance. Mr. Helm is a member of the advisory board of the Institute for Transnational Arbitration and has served as an arbitrator in a wide range of business and consumer disputes.
Before working as a full-time neutral, Mr. Helm was a nationally recognized trial lawyer and appellate advocate at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP in Los Angeles, where he specialized in complex commercial disputes, entertainment, intellectual property, and professional liability. From 2005 to 2010, Mr. Helm was co-managing partner of the firm, and he was named in 2008 as one of Lawdragon’s “100 Managing Partners You Need to Know”.
His experience acquired in nearly four decades of private practice and as a full-time neutral makes him exceptionally qualified to assist parties and their counsel in resolving disputes through arbitration or mediation, in conducting moot courts, and in serving as an expert witness or Special Master.
Areas of Expertise
- SECURITIES/FINANCIAL SERVICES
- ENTERTAINMENT, MEDIA, SPORTS
- TRADE SECRETS
- PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND MALPRACTICE
- MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
- COMMERCIAL LITIGATION
- CONTRACTS
- COPYRIGHT & TRADEMARK
- APPELLATE
Representative Matters
COMMERCIAL LITIGATION & BUSINESS DISPUTES
- Interference with Acquisitions: Served as arbitrator in business disputes alleging interference with corporate acquisitions.
- Stock Purchase Agreements: Arbitrated claims concerning the alleged violation of stock purchase agreements.
- LLC Redemptions: Evaluated disputes involving redemptions under corporate LLC agreements.
- Investment Vehicles: Resolved conflicts regarding the distribution of profits by investment vehicles.
CONSUMER DISPUTES
- Automobile Defects & Technologies: Served as arbitrator in numerous consumer disputes involving automobile defects and new automobile technologies.
- Cryptocurrency: Handled modern consumer financial disputes involving cryptocurrency platforms and transactions.
- Financing Practices & Services: Arbitrated consumer claims regarding financing practices and health studio services contracts.
- Non-Disparagement Clauses: Resolved disputes concerning the validity and enforcement of consumer non-disparagement clauses.
FORMER POSITIONS
- Co-Managing Partner, Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, 2005–2010
- Partner / Attorney, Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, 1983–2020 (approximate based on 37-year practice)
- Law Clerk to the Honorable Warren E. Burger, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court
- Law Clerk to the Honorable Carl McGowan, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- Political Speechwriter to Mayor Kevin H. White of Boston
ADMITTED TO PRACTICE
- California
EDUCATION
- D., Harvard Law School (Magna Cum Laude; President of the Harvard Law Review; Recipient of the Sears Prize)
- B., Harvard College (Magna Cum Laude in Government; Recipient of the Wendell Phillips Award for oratory, the Detur Book Prize, and the John Harvard Scholarship)
SPEAKING AND WRITING ENGAGEMENTS
- Adjunct Professor, Loyola Law School
- Mansfield Rule Development Team, Stanford Law School Women in Law Hackathon (2016)
OTHER ENGAGEMENTS
- NGO Observer, Terrorism prosecutions before the Military Commission at Guantanamo Bay on behalf of the Pacific Council on International Policy
PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE
- Board of Directors, Claremont Colleges
- Board of Directors & Former Board President, Ojai Playwrights Conference
- Former Chair of the Board of Directors, YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles
- Former Co-Chair, ABA Litigation Section’s Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service
- Former Chair, Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Professional Responsibility and Ethics Committee