About Us

Christopher Helt, Esq. was born in Chicago, Illinois and attended Loyola Academy, Loyola University Chicago, and Loyola University's School of Law, and is the managing member of The Helt Law Group, LLC. His practice concentrates in federal immigration litigation involving political asylum, refugee law and deportation/removal proceeding matters. He is listed in Marquis' Who's Who in American law and has appeared on local, national television and national radio news programs (CNN, WBBM-TV, WLS, FOX NEWS, BBC and NPR radio). He has appeared on national ABC, NBC, CBS news and news programs, (Dan Rather's Eye on America interview of Mr. Helt, "Collateral Damage of the War on Terrorism", CNN national news, and on the front page of the New York Times (10/13/97) and featured in Time Magazine ("Does This Boy Deserve Asylum"). Mr. Helt has appeared on the covers of Chicago Lawyer Magazine ("New Era of Immigration Law") and was featured in a Chicago Reporter Magazine cover story entitled "Winning Asylum". Mr. Helt was one of the first--if not the first--attorney in the United States to have logged the first-ever second-hand smoke lawsuit (under the EPA's classification of second-hand smoke as a carcinogen), received the first ever official apology from Chicago Police officers in a 1996 civil rights case, and represented a Chicago school principle successfully suing the Chicago school superintendent and School Board demanding fair legal representation (Chicago Tribune, 8/27/99). He also is credited with bringing to the forefront the plight of some of Serbia's own ethnic-Albanian soldiers who were systematically and secretly murdered at the hands of Yugoslavia's former president ("Serb Army Deserter Faces Trial" (Associated Press, 5/18/99)) and is the first to successfully win an asylum claim based on a child's autism in 2001. In 2004, a documentary was made about the harsh realities of U.S. mostly-Muslim "Special Registration" program, entitled Patriot Acts. The film received three-stars (3) from the Chicago Tribune and was featured on the cover of its film section ("Chicago-based `Patriot Acts' Shows Strength of Human Spirit." 3/26/04). The film highlighted those affected by that law, including his clients. The film also featured Mr. Helt's professional and personal life. In 2014, Mr. Helt was featured in the ALM edition of Chicago's Top Rated Lawyer, a distinction for attorneys in Chicago who have attained the highest rating possible for legal and ethical standards amongst their peers and members of the judiciary by Martindale-Hubble. Mr. Helt is a past recipient of the pro bono service Humanitarian Award for his work with Honduran refugee families and Unaccompanied Children (UAC), given by LULAC of Illinois. Mr. Helt is also an Illinois Super lawyer. Mr. Helt is past-president of The National Trial Lawyers specialty association on Immigration Law and author of Representing Non-Citizens Facing Immigration Consequences of Their Judgment/Plea.