John Howley

John Howley has more than 30 years of experience representing clients in employment disputes and as whistleblowers seeking financial rewards and legal protections. His experience includes:

- an $80 million settlement in a race discrimination class action against Sodexho Marriott;
- a labor arbitration that awarded NYC police officers higher raises than firefighters for the first time in 100 years; and
- a $3.2 million settlement in a prevailing wage lawsuit on behalf of nurses from the Philippines.

Mr. Howley graduated from Skidmore College and earned his law degree, magna cum laude, from New York Law School, where he was Articles Editor of the Law Review. During law school, he served as an intern to U.S. District Judges Kevin Thomas Duffy and Shira A. Scheindlin. Upon graduation, he served as a law clerk to U.S. Circuit Judge Roger J. Miner on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

He has received the Medal for Excellence in Advocacy from the American College of Trial Lawyers, The Thurgood Marshall Award from the New York City Bar Association, and the Gideon Champion of Justice Award from the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He has also been named one of New York City's "Super Lawyers."

New York Law School

J.D. (1990)

1988 - 1990

Honors: magna cum laude

Activities: Articles Editor of the Law Review

Skidmore College

B.A. (1980) | Government and History

1976 - 1980

Notre Dame ng Dadiangas University

1975 - 1976

Managing Partner

The Howley Law Firm P.C.

2012 - Current

President & Chief Executive Officer

Davies Energy Systems, Inc.

2008 - 2012

Partner

Kaye Scholer

1998 - 2008

Associate

Kaye Scholer

1990 - 1997

Law Clerk to Judge Roger J. Miner

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

1989 - 1990

Evolutionary History: The Changing Purposes for the Death Penalty

Studies in Law, Politics and Society, Vol. 42 (Elsevier)

2008

Keeping the Status Quo: Interim Measures in International Arbitration Agreements

23 Int’l Litig. Quarterly 1 (ABA)

2007

Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act Developments

40 The Int’l Lawyer 285 (ABA)

2006

Defending the Politics of Clemency

81 Oregon L. Rev. 231

2002

Antitrust Policy for a Global Economy

38 Ateneo L.J. 43

1994

Whistleblowers on Wall Street: Understanding the SEC Whistleblower Program

September 14, 2016

New York City Bar Association

False Claims Act Enforcement Trends in Healthcare

July 10, 2015

Lawline.com

Whistleblowers on Wall Street: Understanding the Dodd-Frank Whistleblower Program

September 15, 2015

Lawline.com

The Happy Lawyer: Applying Business and Ethical Fundamentals

November 12, 2015

Lawline.com

Stealing Evidence: Ethically Representing Clients Who Record Conversations, Take Documents, and Copy Files

January 28, 2016

Lawline.com

Outstanding Service Award

Skidmore College

Gideon Champion of Justice Award

New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Distinguished Alumnus Award

Skidmore College

Medal for Excellence in Advocacy

American College of Trial Lawyers

Pro Bono Society Award

Association of the Bar of the City of New York

Philippine Disaster Recovery Corporation

Member, Board of Directors

2015 - Current

The Philippine American Chamber of Commerce, Inc.

Chairman Emeritus

2012 - Current

New York City Bar Association

Member

1990 - Current

The Philippine American Chamber of Commerce, Inc.

Member, Board of Directors

1990 - Current

Labor and Employment Law Committee, NYC Bar Association

Member

2015 - 2018

New York

Since 1990

2nd Circuit

Since 1990

U.S. Supreme Court

Since 2007

• Free Consultation
• Contingent Fees
• Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
  Whistleblower and employment cases are usually handled on a contingency fee basis.

• Whistleblower Rewards and Protections

Q. What are the legal options for the Plaintiff if municipality does not offer or decline a settle within 30 days

September 9, 2019

A: Your next step is most likely to commence a lawsuit if you have not already done so. You should consider retaining an experienced employment lawyer for such a lawsuit. There are many, complicated procedural requirements for pursuing an employment lawsuit. In addition, many judges assume that individuals who represent themselves are doing so because no lawyer would take the case. If you have a strong case, many employment lawyers will take it on a full or partial contingency fee basis. This means that you will not pay any legal fees unless you win.

Q. If the EEOC complaint does not have certain parties named, does that mean I cannot add them to a summons and complaint

June 13, 2019

A: As a general rule, you cannot sue a defendant under Title VII unless they were named in the underlying EEOC charge. There are some exceptions, but those exceptions are very complicated. There are also ways to expedite the process of naming a missing defendant. My question to you is: Why do you not have a lawyer who can handle all of these very complicated procedural and jurisdictional issues for you? If you have a strong case, many employment lawyers will represent you on a full or partial contingency fee basis (in other words, they do not receive their fee unless you win).

Q. The HRA of NYC is trying to terminate me because of my past convictions can I get a temporarily injunction

February 1, 2019

A: It is possible (but very difficult) to obtain a temporary injunction in an employment termination case. You must present evidence that: (1) you will likely win the lawsuit; (2) that you will suffer "irreparable harm" if you are terminated; and (3) the equities are balanced in your favor. A lot will depend on the facts of your case, including whether you are a union member, whether HRA has other grounds to terminate you, etc.

The most difficult part is proving "irreparable harm." You will have to prove that money damages will not cure the harm caused by your termination. If your only harm is lost wages, then money damages will be sufficient. You must prove that you will suffer other types of harm that cannot be addressed by an award of money at the end of the case.

If you do win a temporary injunction, you may be required to post a bond. If it turns out that you should not have received injunctive relief, HRA will be able to collect damages against you.

This is not something you should try to handle on your own. Consult with an experienced labor and employment lawyer. ... Read More