Jean M. Howard
Partner
[email protected]
Areas of Practice
Education
Valparaiso University School of Law, Valparaiso, Indiana
J.D. – 1998
Grand Valley State University
B.S. – 1995
Bar Admissions
Michigan, 1998
U.S. District Court Western District of Michigan, 2004
U.S. Court of Appeals 6th
Circuit, 2007
Professional Associations & Memberships
Grand Rapids Bar Association, 1998 – Present
Alliance of Women Entrepreneurs, 2006 – Present
Property
Management Association of West Michigan, 2008– Present
Defense Research Institute
Litigation Percentage
90% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
Classes / Seminars
Trained Facilitator, Michigan ICLE
Jean M. Howard (formerly Jean M. Treece) is a partner, a fiercely successful litigator, and the brains behind much of the research and strategy at the firm.
With substantial experience in commercial litigation, Jean has developed an uncanny expertise in business litigation, specifically partnership disputes, business defamation, trade secret theft, unfair competition, breach of contract, and sales commission cases.
She represents businesses in extremely complex commercial litigation matters, including product liability and trucking in state and federal courts across the country for some of the nation’s largest companies.
Jean has successfully obtained temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions for her clients. She also counsels clients on minimizing exposure and adopting regulatory compliance programs.
And it doesn’t end there. Check out what Jean has done for her clients:
- She prevailed for the defendant in a Michigan Sales Representatives’ Commission Act (SRCA) case, bringing down a plaintiff who had sued for over a million dollars in damages, due to an oral agreement.
- She also won a favorable verdict on behalf of a boat manufacturer following a five-day Muskegon County jury trial by defending her client from claims of negligence, breach of contract and violations of the Michigan Consumer Protection Act.
- She has defended general contractors, subcontractors, and product manufacturers from personal injury actions and property damage claims exceeding $1 million.
- By initiating dispositive motions for owners of stores, restaurants, and apartment complexes, Jean has saved many clients the exhausting expense of a lengthy trial and obtained numerous dismissals of premises liability claims pertaining to serious injuries.
In addition to Jean’s extensive litigation practice, she also handles all the firms’ appellate work. This included a challenging victory before the 6th Circuit in an unfair competition/Lanham Act case that resulted in an award of $12 million from the jury.