Helene S. Fenlon, PLC
Arizona Trial Lawyer
Attorney Profile

Helene S. Fenlon

Scottsdale, Arizona

Phone: (480) 584-3223
Fax: (480) 922-3663
Email: Contact the Firm

Experienced Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona Trial Lawyer

  • Probate and Trust Litigation

  • Business and Commercial Litigation

  • State and Local Tax Litigation

    Helene Fenlon has been a respected member of the State Bar of Arizona since 1990. She was born in Omaha, Nebraska and grew up in Syracuse, New York. She has lived and worked in Arizona for over 20 years.

    Ms. Fenlon earned her B.S. in Foreign Service from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in 1981. She then graduated from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, Garvin Center, with a Master's Degree in International Management in 1983. Her studies at Thunderbird focused on international finance.

    She graduated from the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University in 1990. While in law school, Ms. Fenlon taught as a writing instructor and was a property tutorial instructor. She is licensed to practice law in the state and federal courts of Arizona, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

    During the last several years, Ms. Fenlon has been a member of the State Bar of Arizona, the Maricopa County Bar Association, the Scottsdale Bar Association, and the Arizona Women Lawyers Association. She currently serves as a commissioner on the Maricopa County Commission on Trial Court Appointments and as a member of the board of directors of the Scottsdale Bar Association.

    She is a graduate of Scottsdale Leadership, Inc., Class XIX, and currently serves on Scottsdale Leadership's Community and Alumni Programs Committee. She is a master in, and the immediate past president of, the Thurgood Marshall Inn of Court. Ms. Fenlon has served on the State Bar of Arizona Appointments Committee and as chair of the editorial board of the Maricopa Lawyer.

    In the past, she has served as president, vice president, treasurer, and a member of the board of directors of Phoenix Theatre. She has also served as the treasurer and as a former member of the board of directors of Ballet Arizona.

    Before opening her own law firm, Ms. Fenlon was the executive director of external affairs & alumni relations for the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. Her other business experience includes working as a litigation partner at a large Phoenix law firm, as a business development specialist for a litigation support company, and in the financial services industry as a financial analyst and budget analyst.

    During her years of practice, Ms. Fenlon has successfully represented clients in a variety of probate, trust, business, state and local tax, and personal injury claims. These claims have ranged from individual negligence, breach of fiduciary duty or breach of contract claims to more complex fraud and UCC matters, often involving multi-party and multi-state litigation. She has successfully represented clients in Superior Court actions in counties throughout the State of Arizona, in the appellate courts of Arizona and in the Arizona federal courts.

    Probate and Trust Litigation

    Ms. Fenlon has represented institutional and individual fiduciaries in a variety of probate and trust litigation matters.

    Business Litigation

    She has represented business owners in contract disputes, partnership disputes, and partnership and corporate dissolutions. She has represented financial institutions and individuals in contract disputes, collection actions, faithless agent disputes, fraud actions, and in litigation involving holder in due course issues. She has represented landlords in lease disputes and in breach of guarantee agreements. She has secured on behalf of individual clients temporary restraining orders, preliminary injunctions, and receiverships. Ms. Fenlon has drafted complex settlement agreements, forbearance agreements, contracts and orders.

    State and Local Tax Litigation

    Ms. Fenlon has represented Arizona's largest utilities in multi million-dollar litigation arising from a property tax dispute. She has represented telecommunications corporations, utilities, financial institutions, railroads, contractors, motor carriers, and individuals in state and local tax disputes. She is also a skilled negotiator and has substantial experience in alternative dispute resolution. She also has appeared on behalf of clients before state agencies, departments, and boards.

    Ms. Fenlon's litigation and extensive business experience, combined with her global education, provide her with a strong understanding of best business practices and allow her to help her clients achieve successful outcomes while avoiding costly and unnecessary litigation. Her experience creates the foundation for helping clients optimize their business goals and resolve conflicts. Ms. Fenlon helps many clients resolve conflicts utilizing alternative dispute techniques, including mediation and arbitration. She provides excellent personal service to maintain client relationships. Ms. Fenlon is fluent is Spanish.

    Helene Fenlon serves clients throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area including the communities of: Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Fountain Hills, Phoenix, Tempe, Sun City, Sun City West, Sun City Grand, Chandler, Peoria, Anthem, Mesa, Goodyear, Gilbert, Litchfield Park, Sedona, Prescott, Flagstaff, and Tucson.

  • Areas of Practice

    • State and Federal Litigation and Appeals
    • Probate and Trust Litigation
    • Business and Commercial Litigation
    • State and Local Tax Litigation
    • Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)

    Bar Admissions

    • Arizona, 1990
    • U.S. District Court District of Arizona, 1991
    • U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1991

    Education

    • Arizona State University, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, Tempe, Arizona, 1990
      J.D.

    • Thunderbird School of Global Management, Garvin Center, Glendale, Arizona, 1983
      M.I.M. (Master of International Management), International Finance

    • Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Washington, D.C., 1981
      B.S.F.S. (Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service)
      Major: International Law and Politics

    • Scottsdale Leadership, Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona
      Class XIX

    Published Works

    • Lawyers Helping Lawyers, Special State Bar Award Goes to Founder of Program for Lawyers, Facing Discipline, Maricopa Lawyer, July, 1995
    • Meyer, Hendricks Split Appears Philosophical, Maricopa Lawyer, May, 1995
    • Attorney Is at Home in Different Worlds (winner of the Maricopa County Bar Association Excellence in Writing and Reporting Annual Award, 1995), Maricopa Lawyer, February, 1995
    • Anatomy of a Convention, Los Abagados Hosts Hispanic Bar's Largest, Most Successful Gathering, Maricopa Lawyer, October, 1994
    • Ninth Circuit Position Steeped in Arizona Tradition, Maricopa Lawyer, August, 1994
    • In the Public Interest, Center Celebrates 20 Years Advocating for Reforms, Maricopa Lawyer, June, 1994
    • Fast Lane Appeal, Private Panel's Quick Decision Opens Other Possibilities, Maricopa Lawyer, January, 1994
    • Hope for a System in Crisis, State Supreme Court Has Candid Criminal Justice Report, Maricopa Lawyer, September, 1993
    • Judge Pickrell Adds Stevens Award to Life's Tapestry, Maricopa Lawyer, July, 1993

    Representative Cases

    Classes/Seminars Taught

    • So You Want to Be a Judge, State Bar of Arizona, State Bar Convention, June, 2007
    • How to Become a Judge, Arizona Women Lawyers Association, September, 2006
    • Breaking Up Is Hard to Do: Business Interruption Analysis, and Business Valuation Analysis for Lawyers, Scottsdale Bar Association, February, 2006
    • Computer Forensics in Risk Management, Maricopa County Bar Association, Corporate Counsel Division, February, 2004
    • Successful Transitions, Arizona Women Lawyers Association, September, 2003
    • Computer Forensics and Electronic Discovery, Arizona Women Lawyers Association, July, 2003
    • Contract Considerations, KFNX Radio Interview, October, 1999
    • 1997 Arizona Civil and Appellate Rules Update, Maricopa County Bar Association, March, 1997
    • Writing Instructor, Arizona State University, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law
    • Property Tutorial Instructor, Arizona State University, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law
    • Money and Banking, American Institute of Banking

    Honors and Awards

    • Maricopa County Bar Association Excellence in Writing and Reporting Annual Award, 1995

    Professional Associations and Memberships

    • Scottsdale Bar Association
      Board of Directors

    • Maricopa County Commission on Trial Court Appointments, 2002 - Present
      Commissioner

    • Maricopa Lawyer

    • Maricopa County Bar Association
      Past Chairperson, Editorial Board

    • State Bar of Arizona, 2006 - 2007

    • State Bar of Arizona
      Past Member, Committee on Appointments

    • Arizona Women Lawyers Association

    • Thurgood Marshall Inn of Court
      Master, Member Since 1992

    • Thurgood Marshall Inn of Court, 2007 - 2008
      Immediate Past President

    • Thurgood Marshall Inn of Court, 2006 - 2007
      Past President

    • Scottsdale Leadership, Inc.
      Member, Community and Alumni Programs Committee

    • Catholic Social Services
      Past Member, Legal Oversight Committee

    • Georgetown University
      Past Member, Committee on Alumni Admissions

    • Phoenix Theatre
      Past President, Past Member of Board of Directors

    • Ballet Arizona
      Past Treasurer, Past Member of Board of Directors

    Past Employment Positions

    • Arizona State University, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, Executive Director, External Affairs & Alumni Relations
    • Litigation Support Company, Business Development Specialist
    • Gallagher & Kennedy, P.A., Partner, 1997 - 2002
    • Gallagher & Kennedy, P.A., Associate, 1990 - 1996
    • Citibank Arizona, Budget Analyst
    • Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Miami Branch, Federal Bank Examiner

    Languages

    • Spanish

    The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice and does not establish an attorney-client relationship. You should consult an attorney for individual advice regarding your own situation.

    Copyright © 2008 by Helene S. Fenlon, PLC. All rights reserved. You may reproduce materials available at this site for your own personal use and for non-commercial distribution. All copies must include this copyright statement.


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