People v. Helen Kaminski. 16PDJ045. September 30, 2016. The Presiding Disciplinary Judge approved the parties’ conditional admission of misconduct and publicly censured Helen Kaminski (attorney registration number 45618). Her public censure took effect on September 30, 2016.
Kaminski was licensed to practice law in Illinois in 1994. On January 1, 2013, she moved to Colorado to serve as deputy general counsel at the White Wave Food Company. Her duties there include practicing law. On January 22, 2013, Kaminski contacted the Office of Attorney Registration about registering her license to practice law in Colorado. She was told by that office either to register as a single client counsel or to apply for full admission on-motion. Kaminski was also informed that Colorado enjoys reciprocity with Illinois.
From January 2013 to May 2014, Kaminski did not then take any steps to register her license in Colorado. She mistakenly believed that she was permitted to practice law in Colorado because of its reciprocity with Illinois. On January 3, 2014, Kaminski incorrectly renewed her Illinois law license as inactive. On May 20, 2014, Kaminski again contacted the Office of Attorney Registration to inquire about registering her law license in Colorado. She was told that because she had not registered as a single client counsel, her time practicing in Colorado might be considered the unauthorized practice of law. This response prompted to Kaminski to read the Rules of Professional Conduct, which caused her to conclude that she needed to register her law license in Colorado. She changed her status to active in Illinois and was able to successfully register in Colorado as a single client counsel, effective October 21, 2014. She also filed an application to practice law on-motion, which is currently pending.
Kaminski’s conduct violated Colo. RPC 5.5(a) (a lawyer shall not practice law without a law license or other specific authorization).