Withers

International Wealth Planning

Partner

Helen is a partner in the private client and tax team and is the Office Managing Director of the San Diego office.

She is a trusts and estates attorney who focuses on exempt organizations and international tax planning for inbound and outbound transactions. She assists clients in all aspects of estate planning, estate and trust administration and charitable planning.

Helen brings a diversity of experience to her clients. After graduating from Stanford Law School, she practiced international corporate tax law in China and California where she worked with multinational corporations, such as Oracle, Intel and Seagate, on sophisticated international tax planning techniques. Helen is also certified as a specialist in estate planning, trust, and probate law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization.

Previously, Helen worked at the San Diego Zoo to create its licensing and technology transfer program. She was directly responsible for the creation of the San Diego Zoo Global Centre for Bioinspiration and worked with companies such as Procter & Gamble, WD-40, Nike and Qualcomm to develop technologies inspired by nature.

Helen has been on faculty at the UC Irvine School of Law, where she has taught Charitable Planning and Tax Exempt Organizations. Helen is co-chair of the ABA’s Real Property and Trust & Estate Law, Legislative and Regulatory Issues Committee. She is on the planning committee for the Western Conference on Tax Exempt Organizations, and currently serves as chair of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners San Diego Branch (STEP SD) and on the STEP USA board of directors. She also serves as general counsel for the International Community Foundation.

STEP San Diego, Branch Chair

STEP USA, Board of Directors

International Community Foundation, General Counsel

Balboa Art Conservation Center, Board Member

San Diego County Bar Association, Taxation Section, Member and Former Chair

Global Imprints, LLC, Advisory Council Member

State Bar of California, Member

Stanford University Law School, J.D.

University of Kansas, B.A.