Experienced Trial LawyerJohn Howley, Esq. is a trial and appellate lawyer with more than 30 years of experience. He is also an author and legal educator whose Continuing Legal Education (CLE) programs have consistently ranked among the highest-rated programs on Lawline.com and other CLE providers.
An Exceptional Track RecordJohn has a reputation for getting excellent results in difficult cases. Among his noteworthy cases are:
Education and TrainingJohn was educated in New York City public schools until the ninth grade. He attended high school at the Northfield Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts and studied as a Rotary Exchange Student in the Philippines before earning a B.A. in Government and History from Skidmore College.
John's first job after college was as a lobbyist with the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (cIcu) in Albany, New York. He was put in charge of the Council of Governing Boards, which recruited prominent trustees of 115 private colleges and universities in New York State to lobby Congress and the State Legislature to support higher education. John worked closely with the Council's first Chairman, Bob Keeshan (a.k.a. Captain Kangaroo) and his successor, Peter Warren, the Chairman and CEO of Pepsico International. John left politics to earn a law degree, magna cum laude, from New York Law School, where he was Articles Editor of the Law Review and a member of the team that won the National Moot Court Competition. During law school, he served as an intern to U.S. District Judge Kevin Thomas Duffy and as a research assistant to former U.S. Magistrate Judge, later U.S. District Judge, Shira A. Scheindlin. Upon graduation from law school, John served as a law clerk to U.S. Circuit Judge Roger J. Miner on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Employment ExperienceAfter his federal clerkship, John worked as a litigation associate at Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hays & Handler, which later merged to become Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer.
After six years, he became a partner in the firm and chair of its Business Development Committee. Over the course of 20 years at the firm, John represented major pharmaceutical companies, oil companies, international banks, and foreign governments in their most important litigation, including antitrust, complex commercial disputes, labor disputes, and employment class actions. In 2007, John left law practice to become President and Chief Executive Officer of Davies Energy Systems, Inc. Over the next five years, he developed the company into the first successful energy services company in Southeast Asia. When the company was sold to an Australian energy company five years later, it had completed energy efficiency projects in large commercial and industrial facilities for more than 100 multinational companies. John returned to New York in 2012 and opened his own law practice to focus on significant litigation. He currently represents an electrical engineering company in a $50 million fraud and breach of contract lawsuit brought by Con Edison, and he continues to represent the Police Benevolent Association as its outside trial lawyer in labor and employment litigation. Pro Bono and Volunteer ServiceJohn’s commitment to making a difference extends to his pro bono and volunteer work. He has represented more than a dozen death row inmates in habeas corpus challenges to their death sentences. He has won all but one of those challenges, and he has convinced Governors to grant clemency twice. He has also represented the Government of the United Kingdom as amicus curiae, including in the U.S. Supreme Court, to challenge death sentences imposed on UK nationals.
Commenting on his unusual success rate, The New York Law Journal wrote that “The best news a death row inmate can hear is that John Howley has agreed to take his case.” Throughout his career, John has remained intimately involved with education policy. He has served as Vice Chair of the Skidmore College Board of Trustees and Chair of its Strategic Planning Committee; as Vice Chair of the Northfield Mount Hermon School Board of Trustees and Chair of its Financial Policy Committee; as a Trustee of New York Law School; and as a Trustee of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities. John has also served as a Trustee of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. He is a Director of the Philippine Disaster Relief Corporation, Chairman Emeritus of the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce, and a former Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines. Honors and AwardsJohn has received The Thurgood Marshall Award from the New York City Bar Association, The Gideon Champion of Justice Award from the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and The Medal for Excellence in Advocacy from the American College of Trial Lawyers. He has been named one of New York's SuperLawyers.
A Passion for MusicMusic has been an important part of John's life since childhood. He is an accomplished singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer.
John has performed his original folk music at Caffé Lena, an intimate venue in Saratoga Springs that helped launch the careers of Bob Dylan, Don McLean, Tom Paxton, Arlo Guthrie, and Dave Van Ronk. He also worked with the caffé's founder, Lena Spencer, on her production of Spoon River Anthology for which he wrote original music. John now satisfies his passion for music through his production company, Mabuhay Productions LLC, which co-produced the Broadway Musical "Allegiance" starring Lea Salonga, George Takei, and Telly Leung. LanguagesJohn speaks English, Tagalog (Pilipino), and French.
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John Howley, Esq.
1345 6th Ave 2nd floor New York, NY 10105 (212) 601-2728 |