Practice Areas: General Litigation, Business Litigation, Business & Corporate; view more
Licensed in Michigan since: 1984
Education: Washington University in St. Louis School of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2020 - 2024 Call today:
616-376-4491
Howard Law Group
25 Ionia Ave. SWSuite 230
Grand Rapids, MI 49503 Visit website
Details
A stalwart champion for his clients, William D. Howard is a pillar of leadership within his legal community for his commitment to his clients and shrewd legal talents that help him take on cases of maximal complexity with relative ease. At the Howard Law Group in Grand Rapids, Michigan, he helps residents throughout the state in myriad contentious legal issues, including matters pertaining to maritime and admiralty law, construction law, product liability, trucking and transportation matters and commercial litigation, as well as breach of contract, misrepresentation of fiduciary duty and partnership disputes.
Mr. Howard completed his undergraduate studies in 1981, graduating with his Bachelor of Arts degree from Kalamazoo College. He went on to attend the Washington University School of Law, where he strengthened his legal foundation and talents that are still present in the advocacy he provides for his clients today. He received his Juris Doctor in 1984, and in the same year, he became licensed to practice law in Michigan. Additionally, he later obtained his license to practice law in Indiana as well.
A consummate professional through and through, Mr. Howard has always upheld the goals of his clients far above, working relentlessly to get them the respite and reprieve they deserve to move on from their legal ordeals worry-free – and onto better opportunities in the future. For his many contributions, he is peer-review rated AV Preeminent* through Martindale-Hubbell, the organization’s highest rating, and was acknowledged as the Maritime and Admiralty Lawyer of the Year by Global Law Experts. Moreover, he has published articles in reputed journals, such as IBA News.
Within his legal community, Mr. Howard maintains close affiliations with many legal organizations, such as the State Bar of Michigan, and he is admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Western and Eastern Districts of Michigan, the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States.
*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer-review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.
Practice areas
General Litigation, Business Litigation, Business/Corporate, Construction Litigation: Business, Employment Litigation: Plaintiff, Transportation/MaritimeFocus areas
Admiralty & Maritime Law, Business Formation and Planning, Business Organizations, Construction Defects, Contracts, Employment Discrimination, Employment Law - Employer, Limited Liability Companies, Litigation, Non-Compete Agreements, Partnership, Railroad Accident, Restraining Order, Retaliation, Small Claims, Sub-chapter S Corporations, Trade Secret, Transportation Law, Wrongful Termination
- 30% General Litigation
- 30% Business Litigation
- 10% Business/Corporate
- 10% Construction Litigation: Business
- 10% Employment Litigation: Plaintiff
- 10% Transportation/Maritime
First Admitted: 1984
Professional Webpage: https://howardlawgr.com/william-d-howard
- Michigan, 1984
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan, 2001
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1990
- U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit, 2001
- U.S. District Court Western District of Michigan, 1984
- Obtained a verdict for $12 million on behalf of a client for unfair competition claims in violation of the Lanham Act
- Recovered a verdict of $1.5 million for the employer and employee after a five-day jury trial in Michigan Circuit Court involving a construction site accident and personal injury claim.
- Howard Law Wins Again: The Howard Law Group recently prevailed in a trade secrets case against a former, highly compensated key employee. During discovery, the Howard Law Group learned that the trusted employee had engaged in secret, competitive activities for four (4) years while still employed by the plaintiff. He diverted his employer’s proprietary information for his own personal gain, which the jury found violated Michigan’s Uniform Trade Secret Law (MUTSA). The jury also found that the former employee violated his non-disclosure agreement, which protected the employer’s confidential and proprietary information. The last year, while still employed, he also set up a competitive company with 2 other business partners (also former employees), unbeknownst to his employer. The new company also exploited and used the employer’s trade secret information to specifically solicit the employer’s customers, violating MUTSA, 2015.
- Howard Law Group Victory Ranked #1 Judgment In Lawyer’s Weekly Law Journal’s “Million Dollar Verdicts & Settlements of 2016”.
- Peer-review rated AV Preeminent* through Martindale-Hubbell
- Maritime and Admiralty Lawyer of the Year by Global Law Experts, 2021
- Kalamazoo College, B.A., 1981
- Economic Analysis of Three Tax Proposals for Michigan, IBA News, 1981
- Speaker, “A Greener Opening in a Complex Litigation World”, LCA Renaissance Symposium VIII at the Harvard Club of New York, NY
- Trained Facilitator, Michigan ICLE
- Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis: An Identifying Tool of the Future, School Publication, 1983
- Complex Commercial Litigation
- Litigation
- Maritime
- Mediation & Arbitration
Office location for William D. Howard
25 Ionia Ave. SW
Suite 230
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Phone: 616-376-4491
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2020 - 2024
