• Courtroom Number: 4D     
• Bailiff: Shannon Raymond
• Department: 7
• Assignment: Lead Judge, Dependency

Biography

Judge Helson joined the King County Superior Court bench on May 4, 2015. She assumed the position previously occupied by Judge Kimberly Prochnau, who retired earlier in the year.

Judge Helson started her career with two federal court clerkships, the second of which brought her to Seattle to clerk for Judge Betty Fletcher on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. She then spent four years as a staff attorney at Evergreen Legal Services and eight years as the Regional Director of Columbia Legal Services. While her practice at legal services focused on family law and domestic violence cases, she worked with colleagues on a wide range of legal issues affecting low-income clients. After 12 years at legal services, Judge Helson spent over 10 years in private practice with Skellenger Bender, where she continued her work in the area of family law. Judge Helson earned her bachelor’s degree from Harvard/Radcliffe Colleges, where she majored in government with a focus on international relations, and earned her law degree from UC Berkeley (Boalt) School of Law. She has been active in the community, volunteering with Legal Voice, as a soccer coach with Mount Baker/Lakewood Soccer Club, with QLaw, and with a number of bono programs that provide family law services to low income clients.