Wayne Helsby is the firm’s managing partner in the Orlando office. Wayne has been with the firm since 1981 and has practiced in the area of employment and labor law since that time.
Wayne is experienced in handling all types of labor-related litigation for medium to large-size companies, cities, counties, community colleges, Sheriffs, and other governmental entities. Wayne has negotiated numerous collective bargaining agreements on behalf of public entities with police, fire, and general employee unions. He also has extensive experience in handling investigations and arbitrations and defending employers in employment discrimination litigation.
Wayne served as an elected representative on the Florida Bar’s Board of Governors for the Ninth Judicial Circuit from 2013 through 2020. In his seven years on the Board of Governors, Wayne has served multiple terms on the Executive Committee and has served as Chair of the Program Evaluation Committee and Chair of the Disciplinary Review Committee. He previously served as Chair of the Florida Bar’s Trial Lawyers Section, President of the Orange County Bar Association, and President of the Florida Bar’s Young Lawyer’s Division. Wayne is a past member of the Supreme Court's Committee on Professionalism, the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Florida, and the Board of Directors for the Central Florida Homeless Coalition.
Professional Experience▼
- Attorney with the Firm since August 1, 1981
- Managing Partner – Orlando Office
- Representative, Ninth Circuit, Florida Bar Board of Governors, 2013-2020
- Executive Committee, Ninth Circuit, Florida Bar Board of Governors, 2016
- Chair of the Florida Bar’s Trial Lawyers Section, 2012-2013
- Secretary/Treasurer of the Florida Bar’s Trial Lawyers Section, 2010-2011
- Member, Executive Council of the Florida Bar’s Trial Lawyer’s Section, 2008-2010
- President, Orange County Bar Association, 2004-05
- Member, Judicial Nominating Commission, Ninth Judicial Circuit 2004-'08; Chair 2006-'07
- President, Young Lawyers Division of Florida Bar, 1992-1993
- Board Member, Florida Bar Board of Governors, Young Lawyers Division, 1988-1991
- Board Member, Florida Bar Board of Governors, 1991-1993
- Executive Committee, Orange County Bar Association, 1994-1996, 1997-1998, 2005-2006
- Board Member, Hillsborough County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section, 1984-1985
- Florida Supreme Court's Committee on Professionalism, 2005-2007
- Listed as one of "The Best Lawyers" in – 2005 - 2007, and 2010
- Florida Trend's Florida Legal Elite 2011
- Martindale Hubbell AV Preeminent Rating
Community Involvement▼
- Board of Directors, University of Orlando Foundation, Inc. 1988-1990
- Board of Directors, Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Florida , 1987-1991
- Board Member, United Methodist Church, Florida Conference, Board of Ordained Ministry, 1996
- Board of Directors, Central Florida Homeless Coalition, 1998-1999
Court Admissions▼
- United States Supreme Court
- U.S. District Courts for the Middle (1983), Northern (2013), and Southern (2012) Districts of Florida
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, 1985
- All Florida State Courts, 1983
Education▼
- Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations (B.S., 1977)
- Rutgers University , Industrial Relations (M.A., 1980)
- Florida State University (J.D., 1981)
Publications▼
- "The Constitutionality of Legislatively Mandated Binding Interest Arbitration: A Guide for the Practitioner", The Center for Employee Relations Review, Vol. I, No. 3 (1980)
- "Arbitrability of Individual Grievances in the Public Sector: Florida 's Unique Approach", The Florida Bar Journal, Vol. LVIII, No. 11, December, 1984
- "Drug Testing in the Workplace", The Florida Bar Journal, June, 1986