Helen E. Christian

Helen joined Dart, Adamson & Donovan as a partner in January 2006, where she practiced family law and domestic relations until her death in February 2009.

She graduated with Cum Laude honors from the University of Utah in 1976, where she received a B.A. in both English and Education. She furthered her education thereafter, achieving her Juris Doctorate in 1980 from the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah. She was admitted as a member to the U.S. District Court, District of Utah, and to the Utah State Bar Association that same year.

Helen practiced law exclusively in the area of family law and domestic relations, litigation, and alternative dispute resolution. She was also a certified mediator, she was a strong advocate for her clients, with a sensitive approach to each client’s concerns in resolving their disputes, including those related to complex and substantial marital estates, child custody, and maintenance.

Helen received many awards recognizing her dedication and skills as a family law attorney, including “Best Lawyers in America”, Utah Legal Elite (Family Law), and Outstanding Family Law Lawyer of the Year.

She was a regularly requested lecturer and panelist at continuing legal education presentations where her breadth of knowledge, down to earth attitude and engaging humor enlivened both the subject matter and the audience. She held a deep respect for the legal profession and cultivated with affection the many friendships she developed in the course of her practice, including those with her partners and associates at Dart, Adamson & Donovan, who she considered as her professional family. She was a woman of intellect, beauty, grace, and courage who will be missed deeply by her clients and friends at Dart, Adamson & Donovan.

In her personal life, Helen achieved her Master Gardner status and loved all of the finer things, with an eye for the arts. She had deep love and respect for her family, her profession, and her colleagues. She cherished good artwork and music, the symphony, the opera, and theater. She appreciated good cooking and good wine, a beautiful garden, and traveling.

Professional Associations:

• The American Bar Association, Representative for Utah and Nevada
• Salt Lake County Bar Association
• Utah State Bar Association
  • Chair, Family Law Section
  • Chair, Advertising Committee
  • President, Young Lawyers of Utah
  • Bar Examiner Committee
• Governor’s Child Support Advisory Committee, Co-Chair
• Legal Aid Society of Salt Lake, Board of Trustees’
• American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
• Collaborative Family Lawyers of Utah, Charter Member
• Human Society of Utah, Board Member
• Martindale Hubble rating: AV