On a daily basis,
men and women enter my office with a certain look that I have become well
acquainted with- it is a combination of uncertainty, stress, concern, and
anxiousness. In the initial consultation, I listen to personal stories, collect
a set of details and then advise based upon law and experience. It is often an
emotional conversation as it requires individuals to start from the beginning
and share some of the most personal aspects of his/her life. Working with an
attorney who takes the time to build a relationship based upon trust can make
all the difference. I get asked often about how or why I got into law and more
specifically- family law, so here is the story of the origins of the Law Office
of Pamela J. Helton, P.A.
Married at an early
age, my husband and I worked very hard. We had no education, no trade, worked
odd jobs and had two children to raise and dealt with life as it came at us.
Difficult times eventually led us to work in the travel and timeshare industry.
It seemed life was finally looking up and stable, but that’s the thing about
life- You never know when things can take a sudden and unexpected turn. The
resort that employed both my husband and I fell into bankruptcy. Facing devastating
financial loss, unwanted health problems and more, I had some tough decisions
to make. I had to find a new direction. Neither my husband or I had family
support and we had small children of our own to support. After crawling out of
our hole, my husband and I began a daring and difficult journey to begin a new
life.
The first step was
to enroll at Valencia Community College. We attended classes at night and on
weekends while running a home daycare during the day time hours. We both earned
an Associates Degrees and transferred to the University of Central Florida,
still taking night and weekend classes and a few during the day while we
employed help at the daycare. Upon graduation from UCF, I studied hard and
obtained a good score on the LSAT, applied to law schools and eventually was
accepted into Stetson University of Law in St. Petersburg, Florida. We uprooted the kids and relocated to the
Tampa Bay area to begin what would be the hardest time of all our lives. While
attending law school full-time, I intermittently worked the registration desk
at a local emergency room at night. My husband worked as a teacher during the
day and worked nights as a counselor in a mental health unit. There are no
words to express the difficulty of attending law school full-time, working a full-time
job, balancing a family, marriage, and finances all with no outside support.
The only thing I can say is that sometimes in life you just have to keep your
head down and not think beyond today- literally the next 12-24 hours. We asked
ourselves, “What must I do to simply survive today and today alone?”- advice I
still offer to clients as they walk through difficult times.
In the summer of
1996, I walked across the stage and received my Juris Doctorate Degree from
Stetson University of Law with my husband and kids there to celebrate the
moment. Then in February of 1997, I passed the Florida Bar and began working
for an attorney in Orlando before opening my own practice in a small 10 X 10
office in Pine Hills, FL. It was a humble beginning, but I quickly learned how
to run a business, gained legal experience through the school of hard knocks
and grew a practice as a team with my husband. Eventually we opened our own
office downtown Orlando where we remained until 2005. An additional satellite
office was opened in Clermont in 2003 which eventually became our main office
as we relocated to the area.
Because of my own
life experiences, I have a passion for assisting families during difficult times.
I came from a broken home and I know the sorrow of divorce. I know the stress
hard times can bring onto families and individuals. I also know that despite
facing tremendous difficulties, you can succeed. When the life you knew ends
whether through divorce, loss of a loved one, financial loss, etc., you can
start over, but there is a process to building a new life. With the right help
and sometimes an attorney, you can succeed.
In order to be a
knowledgeable advocate for my clients, I continually research and keep current
on ever changing laws. I speak often on legal topics in the community in hopes
of protecting and helping citizens to avoid problems. I want to be effective
for my client’s who put their trust in me. Family, Faith and Community are important
and my husband and I are both committed to serving all three of those areas.
The Law Office of Pamela J. Helton practices in the areas of Family Law, Will/Estate Planning, Adoption,
General Civil Litigation and Personal Injury. We are proud of the work we have
done to help people in this community and across Central Florida. We appreciate
the trust our clients put in us and promise to never take that trust for
granted. If you have questions about how we may help you, please do not
hesitate to call us at (352) 243-9991. We look forward to hearing from you.
