David Helfeld
Encyclopedia
Professor David Helfeld is the longest-serving dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...

 of the University of Puerto Rico School of Law (UPR), currently a Professor Emeritus. At the age of 87 he was still teaching law. He also served as a close advisor to long-time UPR Chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...

 and President Jaime Benítez
Jaime Benitez
Jaime Benítez Rexach was a Puerto Rican author, academic and politician. He was the longest serving chancellor and the first president of the University of Puerto Rico.-Early life:...

.

Dr. Helfeld, who does not practice law, serves as an arbitrator and a Special Master
Special master
In law, a special master is an authority appointed by a judge to make sure that judicial orders are actually followed.In England, at common law, there were "Masters in Chancery," who acted in aid of the Equity Courts. There were also "Masters in Lunacy," who conducted inquiries of the same nature...

 appointed by the federal district court in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

 regarding a mental health class action against the Government of Puerto Rico.

Personal life

A prominent Jewish resident of Puerto Rico, he was married to the late Raquel Armenteros Vázquez, a co-founder of Puerto Rico's League of Women Voters
League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters is an American political organization founded in 1920 by Carrie Chapman Catt during the last meeting of the National American Woman Suffrage Association approximately six months before the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution gave women the right to vote...

, and has several sons, including Jan, an attorney, Stephen and Peter.

Professional career

Dr. Helfeld was recruited by Chancellor Benítez to replace Dr. Raúl Serrano Geyls, who resigned as law professor to pursue a career in private practice that would eventually lead to appointment as an Associate Justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice or Associate Judge is the title for a member of a judicial panel who is not the Chief Justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the United States Supreme Court and some state supreme courts, and for some other courts in Commonwealth...

 of the Puerto Rico Supreme Court. He began teaching Administrative Law and Labor Law, after being blacklisted as a result of a scathing attack by Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...

 director J. Edgar Hoover
J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...

, who accused Helfeld of being a communist. The attack was triggered for having co-authored as a graduate fellow at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...

 an article criticizing civil rights policies in the early days of what would come to be known as McCarthyism
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...

.

After being recruited at UPR, Helfeld completed his post-graduate studies, obtaining an SJD degree at Yale Law School in 1954.

When former Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...

 Brain Trust
Brain Trust
Brain trust began as a term for a group of close advisors to a political candidate or incumbent, prized for their expertise in particular fields. The term is most associated with the group of advisors to Franklin Roosevelt during his presidential administration...

 member and former Governor Rexford Guy Tugwell returned to UPR, Helfeld met with him and helped him draft a new United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...

, which Tugwell wished to propose but which even Helfeld considered impossible to enact.

He was appointed Dean of the School of Law in 1960, succeeding professor Manuel Rodríguez Ramos
Manuel Rodríguez Ramos
-Early life and education:He born on January 1, 1908 in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. His father died when he was barely a year old. In 1930 he became the third president of Phi Sigma Alpha fraternity. In 1931 he and y Manuel García Cabrera with the help of the UPR Law School Dean Rafael Martínez...

, a position he held for over 13 years until 1974. During his term as Dean, he supervised the design, by architect Henry Klumb
Henry Klumb
Heinrich Klumb was a German architect who worked in Puerto Rico. He was one of Puerto Rico's most prominent architects in the mid 20th Century.-Education and Early Life:...

, and construction of the new Law School building and recruited a varied, internationally diverse faculty.

After resigning as Dean, he remained on the faculty until 1977, when he retired, and taugft at the Pontifical Catholic University School of Law in Ponce
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...

 from 1977 until 1987, when he returned to UPR on a part-time basis.

Publications

Books

Helfeld, D. M., Don Jaime Benítez: su papel creador como constitucionalista y en el desarrollo de la educación legal. Published in Don Jaime Benítez: entre la universidad y la política, edited by Acevedo, Héctor Luis. San Juan, PR: Universidad Interamericana, (2008).

Helfeld, D. M. & Wipfier W. L. Mbareté: Ley superior del Paraguay: informe sobre la negación de los derechos humanos en el Paraguay por la Tercera Comisión de Investigación de la Liga Internacional de Derechos Humanos. New York: International League for Human Rights (1982).

Helfeld, D. M. & Wipfler W. L. Mbareté: The higher law of Paraguay: report on the denial of human rights in Paraguay / by the Third Commission of Enquiry of the International League for Human Rights. New York: International League for Human Rights, (1980).

Stephansky, B. S. & Helfeld, D. M. & Wipfler W. L. Denial of human rights in Paraguay: report of Second Commission of Enquiry of the International League for Human Rights. New York: International League for Human Rights, (1977).

Helfeld, D. M. Informe sobre la renuncia en masa de 48 miembros del Cuerpo de Investigaciones Criminales: sometido a la Superintendencia de la Policía. San Juan, PR, (1968).

Helfeld, D. M. Proposed conclusions, findings, recommendations and rate order, rulings on exceptions, and final recommended rate order. San Juan, PR: Economic Development Administrator, (1965).

Helfeld, D. M. Report in the matter of rates, fees, rentals, and other charges applicable at the Puerto Rico International Airport for the three years beginning June 1, 1961. San Juan, PR: Economic Development Administrator, (1965).

Articles

Thomas I. Emerson and David M. Helfeld, Loyalty among government employees, 58 Yale L. J. 1 (1948)

David M. Helfeld, Historical prelude to the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 21 Rev. Jur. U. P. R. 135 (1951–1952)

David M. Helfeld, Congressional intent and attitude toward Public Law 600 and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 21 Rev. Jur. U. P. R. 255 (1951–1952)

David M. Helfeld, Discrimination for political beliefs and associations, 25 Revista del Colegio de Abogados de Puerto Rico, 5 (1964)

How Much of the Federal Constitution is Likely to be held Applicable to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico?, 110 F.R.D. 452 (1985)

David M. Helfeld, “El Seminario sobre la Intimidad: su origen, el significado de su obra y su funcionamiento futuro”, RJUPR, (Vol.72), 2003, p. 651

David M. Helfeld, Narcotics, Puerto Rico, Public Policy: In search of truth and wisdom, RJUPR, Volumen 75, 2006, p. 1029

Helfeld, D. M. Derecho constitucional. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 77 no. 2 (2008).

Helfeld, D. M. El factor de la demora en los tribunales de Puerto Rico. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v, 76 no. 4 (2007).

Helfeld, D. M. Derecho constitucional. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 76 no. 2 (2007).

Helfeld, D. M. Narcotics, Puerto Rico, Public Policy: In Search of Truth and Wisdom. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico v. 75 no. 4 (2006) p. 1029-69.

Helfeld, D. M. Derecho laboral. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 74 no. 3 (2005) p. 709-35.

Helfeld, D. M. Derecho laboral. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 73 no. 3(2004) p. 619-45.

Helfeld, D. M. Derecho laboral. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 72 no. 3(2003) p. 459-95.

Helfeld, D. M. La política laboral constitucional del 1952: sus principios esenciales y los factores que la influenciaron. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 72 no. 2 (2003) p. 143- 62.

Helfeld, D. M., reviewer El arbitraje obrero-patronal (Book Review). Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 71 no. 1 (2002) p. 19 1-204.

Helfeld, D. M. Derecho laboral. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 71 no. 2 (2002) p. 447-69.

Helfeld, D. M. Derecho laboral. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 70 no. 2 (2001) p. 447-89.

Helfeld, D. M. La jurisprudencia creadora: factor determinante en el desarrollo del derecho de arbitraje en Puerto Rico. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 70 no. 1 (200l) p. 1- 128.

Helfeld, D. M. Derecho laboral. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 69 no. 2 (2000) p. 533-62.

Helfeld, D. M. Derecho constitucional. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 68 no. 2 (1999) p. 345-408.

Helfeld, D. M. Derecho laboral. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 64 no. 4 (1995) p. 82 1-56.

Helfeld, D. M. Hacia una revisión sistemática de la obra legislativa. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 64 no. 2 (1995) p. 165-178.

Helfeld, D. M. Derecho laboral. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 63 no. 2 (1994) p. 297-3 16.

Helfeld, D. M. Derecho constitucional. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 60 no. 3 (1991) p. 791-864.

Helfeld, D. M. Comentario a la ponencia del Magistrado Don Miguel Rodríguez Piñero [Discussion of Los tribunales constitucionales en Europa. M. Rodríguez-Piñero. 57 Rey. Jur. U.P.R. 5-32 `88]. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 57 (1988) p. 33-41.

Helfeld, D. M. How much of the federal constitution is likely to be held applicable to the commonwealth of Puerto Rico? Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 39 (1970) p. 169-206.

Helfeld, D. M. Annual report and prospectus for a ten-year plan. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 30 (1961) p. 3-32.

Helfeld, D. M., reviewer American colonial careerist (Book Review). Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 26 (1956–1957) p. 359-362.

Helfeld, D. M., Recession [Notes]. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 26 (1956–1957) p. 287-294.

Helfeld, D. M., reviewer American legal system; the administration of justice in the United States by judicial, administrative, military and arbitral tribunals (Book Review). Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 24 (1955) p. 295.

Helfeld, D. M., reviewer Labor relations and the law (Book Review). Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 23 (1953–1954) p. 86-90.

Helfeld, D. M. Factors conditioning Puerto Rican labor policy. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 22 (1952–1953) p. 310-78.

Helfeld, D. M., reviewer Prisoners at the bar (Book Review). Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 21(1951–1952) p. 350-4.

Helfeld, D. M. Congressional intent and attitude toward Public Law 600 and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 21(1951–1952) p. 255-320.

Helfeld, D. M., reviewer Guilty or not guilty (Book Review). Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 21 (May 1952) p. 350-4.

Helfeld, D. M. Historical prelude to the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 21(1951–1952) p. 135-54.

Helfeld, D. M. El preludio histórico a la Constitución del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico. Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 21 (l951-l952) p. 182-202.

Helfeld, D. M., reviewer for defense (Book Review). Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, y. 19 (January 1950) p. 2 19-26.

Helfeld, D. M., reviewer American democracy; a commentary and an interpretation (Book Review). Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, v. 19 (September 1949) p. 68-76.

Helfeld, D. M. NAALC in the eyes of the beholder. Connecticut Journal of International Law, v. 10 (Spring 1995) pp. 365–78.

Helfeld, D. M. How much of the United States Constitution and Statues are applicable to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico? Federal Rules Decisions, Vol. 110, (1986), pp. 452–474 (cite as 110 F.R.D. 449).

Helfeld, D. M. Las relaciones constitucionales entre Puerto Rico y los Estados Unidos. Revista de Derecho Puertorriqueño v. 24 (March/June 1985) pp. 297–329.

Helfeld, D. M., reviewer U.S. multinationals and worker participation in management (Book Review). Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law v. 16 (Summer 1983) pp. 721–34.

Helfeld, D. M. Toward an improved compact of association between Puerto Rico and the United States. Revista del Colegio de Abogados de Puerto Rico, v. 38 (November 1977) p. 509-27.

Helfeld, D. M. Discrimination for political beliefs and associations. Revista del Colegio de Abogados de Puerto Rico, v. 25 (November 1964) p. 5.

Helfeld, D. M., reviewer Freedom to read (Book Review). University of Detroit Law Journal, v. 35 (February 1958) p. 416.

Helfeld, D. M., reviewer Comparative law---cases and materials (Book Review). Tulane Law Review, v. 25 (June 1951) p. 539-45.

Helfeld, D. M. Study of Justice Department policies on wire tapping. Lawyers Guild Review, v. 9 (Spring 1949) p. 57-69.

Helfeld, D. M. & Emerson, Thomas 1. Loyalty among government employees. The Yale Law Journal, v. 58 (December 1948) p. 1-143.

Helfeld, D. M. & Emerson, Thomas 1. Reply by the authors [article]. Yale Law Journal, v. 58 (1948–1949) p. 412-421.

Groner, Isaac N.; Helfeld, David M., Race discrimination in housing [comments]. The Yale Law Journal, v. 57 (1947–1948) p. 426-458.

Awards and recognitions

The University of Puerto Rico's Law Journal devoted an issue, No. 4, Vol. 76, 2007, as a tribute to Dean Helfeld, with articles such as The Legacy of a Brave Man, by Anthony Guadalupe Baerga, and Homenaje a Don David en Tres Actos (Tribute to Don David in three acts), by Carlos G. Mera Lastra.
  • Member, National Academy of Arbitrators
    National Academy of Arbitrators
    The National Academy of Arbitrators is a not-for-profit 501 honorary and professional organization of labor arbitrators in the United States and Canada founded in 1947....

  • Member, Comisión del Gobernador para Recomendar Jueces, 1966–72, 1992.
  • Consultant to the International Legal Center, 1966–75; un Estudio Encomendado por el International Legal Center y la Ford Foundation
    Ford Foundation
    The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....

     sobre el Estado de la Educación Legal en las Escuelas Principales de Derecho de las Naciones de América Latina.
  • Member, numerous Minimum Wage Committees, P.R. Department of Labor
  • Legal Counsel to the Puerto Rico Civil Rights Commission
    Puerto Rico Civil Rights Commission
    The Puerto Rico Civil Rights Commission is an official entity within the Legislative Assembly of the government of Puerto Rico, charged with investigating violations of citizens' civil rights. Its five members are appointed by the Governor of Puerto Rico, subject to the advice and consent of the...

    , 1968-72.
  • President, Comisión del Gobernador para Estudiar las Relaciones del Trabajo en el Servicio Público, 1973-75.
  • President, Comisión Consultiva del Gobernador Sobre la Política Laboral, 1977-84.
  • Legal Counsel to the Attorney General of Puerto Rico, 1983.
  • Member, Commissions of Enquiry on Human Rights in Paraguay, sponsored by the International League for Human Rights, 1977, 1980.
  • Special Master, Federal Mental Health Case, 1985–97, 2003-04.
  • Special Master, Federal Mental Retardation Case, 1987-89.
  • Director, Talleres Sobre el Arbitraje Laboral en España, Uruguay, Honduras y Guatemala durante la Década de 1980.
  • Member, American Arbitration Association
    American Arbitration Association
    The American Arbitration Association is a private enterprise in the business of arbitration, and one of several arbitration organizations that administers arbitration proceedings. The AAA also administers mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution. It is headquartered in New York...

    Task Force on NAFTA, 1994.
  • Legal Counsel to the Secretary of Health of Puerto Rico, 1997.
  • Legal Counsel to the Comptroller of Puerto Rico, 1998.
  • Member, Comité Consultivo al Sistema de “ADR” Adscrito a los Tribunales de Justicia de Puerto Rico, 1999.
  • Member, Comité del Presidente de la UPR para la Revisión del Reglamento General de la Universidad, 2002.

Sources

http://www.yale.edu/prconf/agenda.html

http://www.academiajurisprudenciapr.org/pdf/Revista_Volumen_VII.pdf

THOMAS I. EMERSON, THE SYSTEM OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION (1970). Cf. THOMAS I. EMERSON AND DAVID HABER, POLITICAL AND CIVIL RIGHTS IN THE UNITED STATES, (Foreword, Robert M. Hutchins), ii y iii. 1952

Carlos G. Mera Lastra, Homenaje a Don David En Tres Acto, Revista Juridica Universidad de Puerto Rico, Volume 76, Number 4, 2007, 947.

Anthony Guadalupe Baerga, The Legacy of a Brave Man, Revista Juridica Universidad de Puerto Rico, Volume 76, Number 4, 2007, 939.
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