South Ogden, UT

Jack C. Helgesen

Jack graduated from BYU Law School in 1979. He has built a career in standing up for the underdog, winning hundreds of civil, criminal, and personal injury law suits in Utah. He specializes in personal injury and wrongful death claims, elder law, estate planning, medical malpractice, and class action law suits. As a lawyer who represents severely injured Utahns, Mr. Helgesen has won some of the largest settlements in Utah. He and his partners have helped Utahns and residents of other states in hundreds of injury cases for the last four decades. Early in his career, Mr. Helgesen won one of the first million-dollar awards in a Utah medical malpractice trial. This what the first of many other victories in medical cases. As a consumer trial lawyer, Jack Helgesen and his partners filed and won (at trial and through multiple appeals) one of the largest class action judgments in the history of Utah - more than $70 million - for over 21,000 Utah tax payers in the case of Brumley v. Utah Tax Commission (Utah 1993). He and his partners have been winning consumer cases for more than thirty years. As an appellate lawyer, Jack has argued and obtained several winning rulings from the Utah Supreme Court. As a victim advocate, Jack Helgesen has been a leader among American injury trial lawyers. He is a former President of the Utah Trial Lawyers Association (now the Utah Association of Justice), the largest injury lawyer organization in Utah. For fifteen years, he was a Governor of the American Association of Justice in Washington, D.C. (previously called the Association of Trial Lawyers of America), America’s largest organization of injury lawyers. He is a Master with the American Inns of Court and has trained other injury lawyers in small and large seminars for many years. Jack has an AV rating from Martindale and Hubble, America’s oldest lawyer rating service. This high honor puts him in the top 5% of American lawyers for legal ability and ethics. The AVVO.com lawyer rating website ranks Jack as a “superb lawyer,” grading him with 10 points on a scale of 1 to 10. Mr. Helgesen graduated cum laude from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. He received his Juris Doctor law degree from Brigham Young University. In 1982, Mr. Helgesen founded Helgesen, Houtz & Jones, which now has ten lawyers (including three of his sons). The firm has represented more than thirty-five thousand clients. Jack and his wife Koy have eight children and twenty-two grandchildren. They love family gatherings, noisy birthday parties, family trips and the daily chaos of their large family. They also enjoy traveling. Jack and Koy are also BYU sports fans, Weber State fans, and are University of Utah fans when they are not playing BYU (their children are graduates of Weber State, BYU and the University of Utah). For twenty-four years, Jack taught religion classes for BYU.

Kurt M. Helgesen

Kurt attended law school in Topeka, Kansas, where he made the Dean’s list and honor roll. He received his law degree in 2011. Kurt has been recognized as one of America’s top young trial attorneys. Kurt’s primary areas of practice are family law, divorce and custody, criminal defense, and contracts. Kurt was born and raised in Kaysville, Utah and has lived in Davis County most of his life, having lived in Kaysville, Layton, Clearfield and Syracuse. As the son of an attorney, Kurt was introduced to the law at a very young age and enjoyed watching his father’s trials. As one of eight children, with five brothers and two sisters, Kurt was immediately introduced to his own set of trials and competition. He played and excelled in many competitive sports including football, basketball, competition soccer leagues, and played in numerous all-star level baseball leagues. Kurt has always maintained a competitive nature about him and welcomes a challenge. Kurt graduated from the University of Utah in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. He was on the Dean’s list and the honor roll for his last two years of college. Not surprisingly, this was only after he met and married his wife Melissa, who told him he should. in 2010, Kurt received his Juris Doctor law degree from Washburn University School of Law, in Topeka, Kansas. He was sworn in to the Utah State Bar in 2011, and has practiced as an attorney with Helgesen, Houtz & Jones since that time. Prior to beginning law school, Kurt worked as a paralegal at HH&J for several years. As a paralegal, Kurt was again able to enjoy attending his father’s trials, this time being mentored. In Kurt’s final semester of law school he interned as a law clerk at the Second Judicial District Court for the Honorable Judge Michael G. Allphin. As an intern, Kurt acquired invaluable insight and a unique perspective into the workings of a district court judge and a court’s handling of a wide variety of cases. Upon graduating law school, Kurt volunteered his services by arguing protective orders for victims of domestic violence in Davis and Weber County. He brings practical experience and a personal understanding to his practice and his law firm. Kurt is a member of the Utah State Bar Association, the Utah Trial Lawyers Association and the Utah Association for Justice. In March of 2014, Kurt was selected by the National Trial Lawyers as one of America’s top young trial attorneys. Kurt was honored in accepting the award Top 40 Under 40, naming Kurt as one of an elite group of top attorneys from the State of Utah and the Country, under 40. Membership into the Top 40 Under 40 association is by invitation only and is extended to individuals who exemplify superior qualifications, trial results, and leadership as a young trial attorney. On AVVO.com, a lawyer rating website, Kurt is ranked as a “superb lawyer,” giving him 9 points on a scale of 1 to 10. Kurt’s primary areas of practice are litigation and trial work, specializing in criminal law, criminal defense of misdemeanor and felony charges in the district, justice and juvenile courts as well as family law, contested divorce and child custody matters. As a criminal defense attorney Kurt understands the dilemma of uncertainty that his clients face whether their need is defense of minor traffic tickets, defense of DUI or DWI, defense of retail theft, defense of possession charges, or defense of severe felony charges. Kurt understands that waiting in uncertainty is extremely unnerving and as an analytical, organized and compassionate defense attorney, he devotes himself to efficiency and meticulous preparation at all stages of the defense to ensure the best result possible for his clients. Kurt sincerely believes that innocent people are charged with crimes every day. Kurt knows that sometimes a case must be taken all the way to trial to achieve the best result, and he prepares in every case to do so. As part of Kurt’s criminal defense practice, he enjoys helping his clients fight their traffic tickets. He knows how important your driving privileges are and can fight to help you keep your drivers license in good standing, avoid paying the expensive traffic ticket fines and avoid raised insurance premiums. As a family law attorney, since joining the firm, Kurt has served the Davis, Weber and general Salt Lake area as a top family law attorney, specializing in matters involving minor children and custody disputes. Kurt’s understanding of the legal process and invaluable insight has assisted him in obtaining favorable results for his clients in simple to more complex divorce cases, paternity actions, child custody actions, adoptions, juvenile courts and more. Kurt brings dedication to every case he accepts, and takes a personal interest in each one. Kurt Helgesen is happily married and a proud father of five beautiful children. He grew up in a large family and feels lucky to have one himself. In his spare time, Kurt enjoys spending time with his family and coaching his son’s athletic teams. He is passionate about the law and the people he represents, he sincerely believes in the legal system and created the blog readbetweenthelaw.com to help the community better understand the legal system as well as the law that guides it.

Michael V. Houtz

Michael received a master’s degree from NYU and law degree from BYU. He joined the firm in 1991. He has extensive practice in criminal law as a prosecutor and defense attorney. He specializes in social security disability, personal injury, government entities, medical malpractice, contracts, and estate planning. Michael Houtz has been with Helgesen, Houtz & Jones since 1991 and has been a partner since 1996. He received a master’s degree from New York University and his bachelor’s degree and law degree from BYU. He clerked for a year for the Arizona Court of Appeals. He and his wife Susan are the parents of five children, three daughters and two sons. He met his wife while serving as a missionary in France. Outside the office he enjoys reading and sports. He has run 22 marathons, including the New York City Marathon and is a member of the 10 year club at St. George. His favorite sport is baseball which he played in college, and he and his family are avid fans of the New York Yankees. They have attended many games at Yankee Stadium. He enjoys traveling with his family, and loves to be out early in the quiet of the morning. Michael enjoys his practice in the areas of social security disability, personal injury, government entities, medical malpractice, contracts, and estate planning. He has had extensive practice in criminal law both as a prosecutor and a defense attorney. He has been a lead attorney in successful class action lawsuits.

Ky M. Papke is a managing partner of Alta Legal and an experienced trial attorney focusing on Personal Injury. He is licensed in Utah and Arizona and was selected as a top 40 under 40 trial attorney by the National Trial Lawyers in 2018. He earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Idaho - College of Law.

Caleb O. Lyman is a founding partner at Alta Legal, specializing in personal injury, wrongful death, and other injury-related services. He is fluent in Spanish and licensed to practice law in Utah and Arizona. He received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Oregon-College of Law.

Jason graduated, cum laude, from J. Reuben Clark Law School at BYU, where he was an associate editor for the BYU Education and Law Journal. Jason is a business-minded attorney who specializes in providing complete general counsel services to small and midsize businesses, including litigation. Jason is a business-minded attorney who specializes in providing complete general counsel services to small and midsize businesses. His clientele ranges from international manufacturing companies to nationally recognized financial services companies. Jason adds value by personally handling his clients’ contract and general business needs as well as their litigation needs. When he does encounter an issue that requires specialized help, Jason again adds value by ensuring that his clients obtain excellent representation without losing control of the fees and costs-something that is all too common. Jason regularly assists his clients with pre-litigation planning, asset protection planning, corporate governance matters, employment matters, contracts, and transactional matters (including mergers and acquisitions). Additionally, a handful of Jason’s clients regularly include him in their executive management team’s decision-making process where he provides valuable hybrid business-legal advice. Jason is a commercial/business litigator. He adds substantial value to his clients by handling their litigation needs from start to finish. He is an aggressive, but reasonable advocate who has successfully represented clients in both federal and state courts. Jason has had the privilege of appearing before the Utah Supreme Court, the Utah Court of Appeals, and the Federal Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. In 2010 and 2011, Jason was selected for inclusion in the Mountain States Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” in the categories of Business Litigation and Family Law. Jason graduated from J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University, cum laude, where he was an associate editor for the BYU Education and Law Journal. He distinguished himself in law school, graduating near the top of his class, receiving the American Bankruptcy Institute Medal of Excellence in Bankruptcy, and working as both a research assistant and a teaching assistant in the subject of business reorganization. Jason prides himself in being involved in the community and providing free legal services to worthy causes and individuals. In addition, he served as Treasurer for the Young Lawyers Division of Utah from 2008-2009 and as co-chair for the Needs of Children Committee from 2007-2008. Jason is admitted to practice in the Utah State Courts, the Federal District Court for the District of Utah, and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Jason was selected for inclusion in the Mountain States Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” for 2010 and 2011. Jason also has an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, America’s oldest lawyer rating service. He also has high marks from other online rating services. That said, Jason is most proud of the fact that nearly all of his clients/business comes from direct referrals from his existing clients. He believes that there is no greater compliment than for a client to trust him with the legal needs of their friends, families, or business partners. Jason works hard to keep this trust. Law is Jason’s second career - he worked full-time as a licensed securities trader for eight years prior to starting his career in the law. He has also owned and operated a small business. Jason’s motivation and paramount concern is his family. He enjoys spending time with his wife and four young boys, fishing, camping, and at sporting events. He also enjoys working with his hands and takes pride in being an avid do-it-yourselfer-though his wife wishes he would just hire a real professional.

Richard received his B.A. in ecomonics and graduated from BYU Law School in 1982. He has been successfully practicing law in Ogden, Utah since 1983- he has been with the law firm ever since. Rich specializes in homeowners associations, condominium and real estate law, evictions, and foreclosures. Mr. Jones is a graduate of Brigham Young University. He received his B.A. in economics in 1979 and received a law degree from the J. Reuben Clark Law School in 1982. He became a member of the California Bar in 1982 and the Utah Bar in 1983. Rich has been practicing law in Ogden since 1983 when he joined the firm which is now Helgesen, Houtz & Jones. In 1988 Rich began focusing his legal work in the areas of homeowner associations, condominiums and real estate law, and has been presenting condominium and homeowner association management seminars on a frequent basis since 1991. He enjoys helping community associations avoid and resolve conflict and difficult situations (outside the courtroom whenever possible). Rich and his wife live in Davis County and are the parents of 5 children (all girls except 4). His oldest son will join the firm in 2013 upon graduation from law school at BYU. Over the years he and his family have participated in humanitarian projects in Guatemala, Peru and Kenya, experiences he says are life changing. He enjoys golf, baseball and BYU sports. Rich is also a member of the Rex E. Lee Inn of the American Inns of Court.