Sally C. Helppie

• Biography
• Publications & Speaking

Sally C. Helppie is a graduate of the UCLA School of Law, where she was a Teaching Assistant, member of the national moot court team, Melvin Belli advocacy scholarship recipient and winner of the Distinguished Advocate award.  She practices entertainment law and litigation.

Entertainment Law
Sally’s entertainment law practice focuses on film, television, and advertising.  She regularly serves as production counsel on productions with budgets from $100,000 to $100 million.  She negotiates acquisitions and distribution, drafts a wide variety of financing and option documents, advises on insurance and bonds, addresses Guild and Union matters, handles copyright and trademark issues, performs script clearances, prepares production contracts, and represents brands in their deals with agencies and endorsers. Sally also has negotiated and drafted contracts for numerous television pilots and series on broadcast, cable and streaming networks.
 
Litigation
Sally is a seasoned trial attorney whose litigation work emphasizes contracts and business torts, trademark and copyright issues.  Her practice encompasses all aspects of commercial trials and appeals before the state and federal courts, as well as various arbitration panels. Sally has been lead counsel in literally hundreds of cases on behalf of Fortune 500 companies, smaller businesses and individuals.  She has won many cases before juries in state and Federal courts, and has successfully represented parties at all levels of appeal. Her litigation background has proved to be invaluable in negotiating and understanding complicated entertainment deals.  Sally has consistently been rated AV® Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell (its highest rating) for both legal ability and ethical standards.
 
Film Producer
In addition to her legal work, Sally is an award-winning movie producer and CEO of Advocate Pictures, LLC, a full-service production and consulting company.  Sally produced the 2008 action thriller, “Exit Speed,” the 2009 chiller, “Haunting at the Beacon,” the 2012 family-friendly “Beyond the Farthest Star,” and the 2014 action-packed “Infiltrators.”  Sally also has produced several documentary shorts.
 
Teaching
Sally was an Adjunct Professor at Southern Methodist University for more than a decade, teaching several semester-long courses in both the Meadows School of the Arts and the Dedman School of Law.  She also served as the Director of the Small Business and Trademark Clinic for four years.  Sally is a frequent guest lecturer at universities and law schools, has presented at numerous industry events and film festivals, and regularly speaks at CLE seminars.
 
Professional Organizations
Sally is the past Chair of the Texas Entertainment and Sports Law Section of the State Bar of Texas.  She is a past Chair of the Dallas Bar Association’s Entertainment, Arts & Sports Law Section and currently serves on the Council.  She is past Chair of the Dallas Bar Association’s Business Litigation Section (which won the Section of the Year award under her leadership), and a past-chair of the Dallas Bar’s Judicial Evaluation subcommittee.  She has been selected for the Producers’ Network at the Cannes Film Festival and is a member of Women in Film-Dallas, and
the Dallas Producers Association. 
 
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS
State Bar of Texas Entertainment and Sports Law Section Member and Past Chair
Dallas Bar Association Entertainment, Arts & Sports Law Section, Council Member and Past Chair
Dallas Bar Association Business Litigation Section, Member and Past Chair
Dallas Bar Association Judicial Evaluation Subcommittee, Past Chair
Dallas Producers Association, Member
Women in Film—Dallas, Member
National Order of Barristers, Member

PAST EMPLOYMENT POSITIONS
Bell Nunnally & Martin, PLLC, Partner
Johnson & Gibbs, P.C. (f/k/a Johnson & Swanson), Shareholder and Associate