Howard had more than 40 years of general corporate, finance, securities, equipment leasing and commercial law experience, including four decades in the aviation industry. Howard’s extensive experience in the legal industry means he understood and appreciated what his clients and in-house counsel were looking for in an attorney – trust, responsiveness, efficiency, and value.
He represented Fortune 500 companies and privately-held companies, start-ups, airlines, airframe manufacturers, equipment leasing companies and private-equity firms, both as in-house and outside counsel. In addition, he held the non-legal positions of General Manager/Regional Vice President of Aircraft Trading Contracts and PRC Contracts Groups, respectively, and Director of the Airline Finance Group of McDonnell Douglas.
Prior to joining Fafinski Mark & Johnson, Howard was Managing Director and Associate General Counsel of US Airways. As the chief transaction attorney for US Airways from August 1997 to April 2005, he was responsible for corporate finance, securities, aircraft acquisitions, financing and dispositions, mergers and acquisitions, debt and lease restructurings and workouts, and he played a leading role in both US Airways’ bankruptcies. It was Howard’s belief that when dealing with multi-million dollar transactions, you rely on building strong, collaborative relationships. As he said, “After all, it is a very small world. Not only will you repeatedly come across people with whom you have negotiated transactions in the past, but it is not at all unusual for the person on the other side of the table one day to end up on your side of the table another day, and vice versa. That is why one’s reputation for integrity, professionalism, and competence is incredibly important.”
Antioch College (BA 1970)
Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California at Berkeley (1973)
State Bar of California (1973)
US District Court, Northern District of California (1973)
US Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit (1973)
American Bar Association
International Who’s Who of Aviation Lawyers, 2012 – 2015
Howard lived in San Francisco, California. He enjoyed skiing in Colorado, bicycling, traveling, and good food and wine. Howard was a diehard SF sports fan, and he was much happier once the Warriors and Giants became competitive once again.