NEW PORT RICHEY - Three lawyers with extensive experience in the criminal court system are squaring off to replace retiring Circuit Judge Crockett Farnell. Two of the candidates, Mary Handsel and Glenn Martin, have served as assistant state attorneys, prosecuting major felony cases for most of their careers. The third, Christine "Chris" Helinger, has worked as an assistant public defender, specializing in high-profile cases involving constitutional issues for most of her career. Helinger, 55, said she had enjoyed "clear, reasoned argument" since childhood and always wanted to become a lawyer. She took time off after high school and worked her way through college as a server in Daytona Beach. After graduating from Stetson University in Deland, Helinger enrolled in the school's College of Law in Gulfport and subsequently joined the Pasco-Pinellas Public Defender's Office in 1981.