On Thursday, August 15, 2024, the Supreme Court of Washington suspended attorney Kevin Thomas Helenius for 90 days following a disciplinary ruling. Helenius will also be subject to one year of probation upon his reinstatement to the practice of law.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Kevin Thomas Helenius,” with case no. 202207-3.
The court issued the suspension order based on a stipulation between Helenius and the Washington State Bar Association that was approved by the Disciplinary Board. According to the stipulation, Helenius represented consumer debtor JunRulan Conde in early 2022 through an intake process handled by his paralegal. Conde paid $1,400 in cash installments to the paralegal for legal representation, but the funds were not deposited into a client trust account as they had not been earned.
In July 2022, Helenius’ paralegal unexpectedly retired without notifying Conde. Multiple attempts by Conde to contact the paralegal and later Helenius went unanswered. It was not until November 2022 that Conde received a partial refund of $400 from the paralegal. Conde sent a letter to Helenius in April 2023 requesting contact and any remaining refund, which also went unanswered.
The stipulation found that Helenius violated various Rules of Professional Conduct by failing to adequately supervise his paralegal, failing to keep Conde reasonably informed, failing to provide the agreed-upon legal services or refund unearned fees, and failing to properly handle client funds. He was found to have knowingly caused potential injury to Conde.
As part of the suspension order, the stipulation required Helenius to pay $800 in restitution to Conde plus interest accruing from May 1, 2023. He must also pay $1,000 in attorney fees and costs. Successful reinstatement from suspension is conditioned upon payment of these amounts.
The Disposition states:
“IT IS ORDERED: Kevin Thomas Helenius is suspended from the practice of law for 90 days…. The lawyer shall be subject to one year of probation beginning on the date of reinstatement and shall comply with all of the terms of probation as specified in the stipulation.”
According to avvo.com, Mr. Helenius is a bankruptcy & debt attorney in Bellevue, Washington. He acquired his law license in Washington in 1980.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
