Frank J. Chmelik

Frank Chmelik, one of the founders of our firm, will move to Senior Status at the end of 2024.  In Senior Status he continues to work with several long-term clients to conclude on-going matters.  He will also be available to lawyers in our firm to consult on matters, bringing to bear over forty years of experience in businesses, business litigation and municipal law.

Not as a lawyer, but as a management consultant with Helmsman Strategic, LLC, Frank will continue to consult with and lead seminars for businesses, nonprofits and governments on management issues, business transition issues, strategic planning, capital budgeting and board governance.  Members of the firm are available to provide legal services to these businesses, nonprofits and governments as needed.

Frank Chmelik started his legal career in 1982 as a U.S. Army JAG Corps officer where he served as a prosecutor and defense counsel at Fort Lewis.  He then worked for the Seattle law firm, Karr Tuttle Campbell. In 1987, he moved to Bellingham where he co-founded the firm.

Each year, since 1999, when the selection began, Frank has been chosen by Washington Law & Politics Magazine as a “Super Lawyer®” representing the top 5% of the lawyers in Washington.  Frank has served as a member of the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates and as a member of the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Military Law.  In 2014, he was elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Until moving to Senior Status Frank served as the general counsel for the Washington Public Port’s Association.

Education

• Claremont McKenna College (B.A., cum laude, Political Science
  and Economics, 1978)
• Hastings College of Law (J.D., 1981)

Professional Associations & Memberships

• Washington State Bar Association – admitted (1984)
• Minnesota State Bar Association – admitted (1982)
• California State Bar Association – admitted (1981)
• United States District Court – Northern District of California
• United States District Court – Western District of Washington
• Fellow of the American Bar Foundation
• Whatcom County Bar Association

Community Involvement

• Bellingham Bay Rotary Club, Member
• Mount Baker Chapter of the American Red Cross, Chair of Board
• Bellingham YWCA, Member of the Board of Trustees
• Former Volunteer Firefighter/EMT, Local fire district