HELEN SOFGE ATTER
Practice Areas: Corporate & Business Law
Labor / Employment Law
Intellectual Property (Trademark & Copyright)
Real Estate
Estate Planning
Rating: AV (Martindale-Hubble)
Email Address: ***************@*****.***
Contact Number: 904-***-****
Admitted to Florida Bar: 1981
Education: Florida State University (B.A., cum laude, 1976) University of Florida (Juris Doctor 1980)
Professional:
Schneider, Dunay, Ryan & Marks, P.A. 1980-1984
Associate Attorney – Real Estate (including residential development work, Residential Title Insurance and Residential Closings) and Corporate practice
First American Title Co. of Jacksonville, Inc. 1984-1985
President and General Counsel - Offices in Jacksonville, Orange Park & Palm Coast (Management of Offices providing Residential and Commercial Title Insurance; Residential and Commercial Closings)
First American Title Co. of Florida, Inc. 1985-1988
Statewide Vice President/Branch Counsel – Offices in Jacksonville, Orange Park & Palm Coast (Management of Offices providing Residential and Commercial Title Insurance; Residential and Commercial Closings; Provision of Statewide Commercial Closing and Title Review Support)
PGA TOUR, INC. 1988-2009
Associate General Counsel PGA TOUR 1988-1994 (Responsible for review and drafting of Tournament, Television and Brand Licensing contracts; support Marketing and Tournament Affairs personnel as requested in contract development process; responsible for Intellectual Property matters including Trademark and Servicemark Portfolio filings and enforcement; handling Real Estate matters including drafting and participation in expansion of TPC Network Properties; handling corporate, labor and employment matters; coordination with outside counsel on litigation matters)
Vice President of Human Resources PGA TOUR 1994-1995 (Responsible for labor and employment matters for PGA TOUR, its TPC Network Clubs and other PGA TOUR subsidiaries; responsible for the management of all Human Resources staff including the Director of Human Resources; responsible for management of outside counsel as needed with regard to ERISA matters and employment litigation matters)
Vice President of Corporate Compliance PGA TOUR 1996-1997 (Responsible for oversight of Corporate Compliance matters for PGA TOUR)
Vice President of Business Affairs and General Counsel for World Golf Foundation, Inc. / PGA TOUR, Inc. 1997-2009 (Responsible for corporate, trademark, contract drafting and management, employment matters, risk management matters and management of outside litigation counsel for World Golf Foundation, Inc., and its divisions: World Golf Hall of Fame, The First Tee and GOLF 20/20)
This work included the negotiation and drafting of contracts for the IMAX Theater; Trademark and Service Mark Portfolio filings and enforcement; handling real estate matters for World Golf Foundation related to the World Golf Village development and its licensing partners; handling World Golf Village Property Owners Associations’ real estate matters including conveyances, acquisitions, easements and supporting its Architectural Control Committee processes; creating World Golf Hall of Fame exhibitory loan agreements; responsible for premises, event and exhibitory insurance placement and risk management matters; reviewing and drafting World Golf Village entertainment, talent and venue contracts and risk management matters including event work related to Induction ceremonies, musical events and fireworks displays; handling Corporate Board matters for World Golf Foundation, a 501(c)3 entity - including the preparation of Board Books by consolidating division materials, administratively overseeing the process and planning for Board of Director meetings and providing General Counsel input as required at Board and Board Committee Meetings; responsible for Employee Benefit and ERISA Plans for the World Golf Foundation including the legal oversight, negotiations and management of the plans; responsible for all Human Resource and Legal personnel (including HR Director and Division Attorney and staff) and Human Resource and Legal activities for the World Golf Foundation; oversight and participation in annual reporting presentations to the State of Florida Office of Tourism regarding the corporation’s compliance with State Bond requirements; management of outside counsel with regard to ERISA matters, trademark litigation and risk management related claims.
Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A. 2010 to 2016
Partner - Practice areas included Corporate Law, Business Consulting, Employment Law; Intellectual Property Law; Franchise Consultation and Estate Planning, Contract review and drafting. This included the direct oversight of two attorneys and additional support staff in the business practice area and management of the business law office located in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Liles Gavin P.A. 2016 to Present
Partner – Practice areas include Business Law (including the creation and dissolution of LLCs, For Profit Corporations and Not For Profit Corporations; Stock or Membership Unit sales and acquisitions; asset sales and acquisitions; annual maintenance of business entity internal documents and state records, the development and drafting of customized modifications of LLC or Corporate documentation to reflect entity activity, and the resolution of disputes and negotiated settlements of Members and Shareholders of entities); Business consulting as to contractual issues and entity structure; Employment Law; Intellectual Property Law (filing and managing Trademarks and Licensing of Marks); Estate Planning; Contract review, negotiation and drafting.
Community Involvement
Past Board Positions: Volunteer Jacksonville (as a Board Member for a charity providing resources to volunteer organizations and volunteers in northeast Florida); Women in the Golf Industry (as a Board Member for a trade association for women in the Business of Golf); Betty Griffin House (as a Board Member for an organization that provided resources to battered women and their dependents); TPC Village, Inc. (a 501(c)3 entity providing adolescent drug treatment programming and residential services for young people - as legal advisor to the Board while at PGA TOUR, then as a Board Member after leaving PGA TOUR)
Current Community Activity: Fleet Landing/Naval Continuing Care Retirement Foundation Inc. (as Chairman of the Board of Directors for a 501(c)3 entity owning and operating Fleet Landing, a CCRC retirement community); Five STAR Veterans Center, Inc. (as a volunteer attorney on Corporate and real estate matters); Jacksonville Women’s Network (as a Member of an organization of women business executives, lawyers, volunteers and entrepreneurs in Jacksonville)
References available upon request