Helena Marie S. Wise

Helena Marie "Sunny" Wise built a distinguished legal career spanning 46 years, dedicated to labor and employment law. A native of Ridgecrest, California, she graduated from UCLA in 1976 with an honors degree in political science on a full academic scholarship, and went on to earn her Juris Doctor with high honors from Loyola Marymount University in 1979. She was admitted to the California Bar in 1979 and was later admitted to the State Bar of Nevada.

Sunny began her career as a partner at the firm of Geffner & Satzman from 1980 to 1987, after which she opened her own independent practice in Burbank. Throughout her career she was a committed advocate for employees, representing sheriffs, firefighters, and first responders, as well as clients in the entertainment industry, including actors, screenwriters, and members of unions such as SAG-AFTRA and I.A.T.S.E. Local 695. Her practice also encompassed criminal defense, restraining orders, and elder abuse matters.

Over the course of her career, her work reached the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. She also served her country in the United States Naval Reserves as a journalist, attaining the rank of JO2. She is remembered for her devotion to justice and her tireless advocacy on behalf of working people.