The Howell Law Firm represents clients, not causes. So Mike represents both Defendants and Plaintiff in cases across the country. Mike believes that representing people and companies pursuing and defending cases help keep his litigation skills more polished and provides a balanced perspective on each case.
His experience includes:
-- Successfully defended a commercial realtor in case involving a $50 million real estate transaction with allegations of fraud, self-dealing, and civil conspiracy;
-- Represented several construction contractors in lien recovery litigation and collection efforts.
-- Defended a foreign franchisee in dispute over terms a of franchise agreement in Federal Court and brought successful counter claims. The franchise was located in India, licensed from an American corporation, owned by a foreign national.
-- Represented a Brazoria County landscaping company in commercial contract litigation against a Fortune 100 corporation.
-- Defended an individual in a breach of contract jury trial resulting in favorable verdict in Grimes County, Texas. Result caused other Plaintiff to dismiss similar claims.
-- Negotiated executive separation and non-compete agreements under Texas law.
-- Advised property owners and purchasers in commercial property transactions regarding future liabilities and insurance issues for underground storage tank (UST) systems and dry cleaner issues in Texas.
-- Advised multiple commercial property owners regarding their neighbor’s underground contamination how it affects property development and TCEQ regulations.
-- Handled and helped in the jury trial of an underground blowout case allegedly caused by a Fortune 5 company that lead to contamination of a community drinking water well.
-- Advised numerous land owners on mineral interests and operator obligations regarding their leases and Railroad Commission regulations.
-- Successful product liability lawsuit involving the death of a toddler. Suit resulted in product recall.
-- Lead counsel on a successful suit against a local bar (Dram Shop) for over-serving a drunk driver who hit a pedestrian and caused a life-changing personal injuries.
-- Represented Plaintiffs in several motor vehicle collision cases in liability, uninsured/under insured (UM/UIM), and property damage cases.
-- Represented several Plaintiffs in various premises liability and products liability cases.
-- Oil field groundwater contamination trial. Handled geologic, petroleum engineering, hydrogeological, biodegradation, and groundwater modeling experts at trial against a Fortune 5 corporation. Focused on epidemiological, toxicological, and medical expert testimony for appeal. After appellate court reversed a favorable verdict for my clients, the case successfully resolved by filing a separate suit (bill of review) because the corporate defendant had withheld in-house studies during the trial that contradicted their arguments.
-- Co-lead counsel in Federal Court case involving groundwater pollution from a retail gasoline station in Washington D.C. with an Emergency Cleanup Order issued by EPA under RCRA.
-- Lead counsel on a property damage suit for a Brazoria County neighborhood that was polluted by a Fortune 100 corporation.
-- Co-counsel with a large group of attorneys that brought a nationwide class action against the six largest gasoline station operators in the country (all Fortune 100 Corporations) for underground leaks from their gas stations.
-- Successfully resolved a property damage suit in Alabama Federal Court for mercury contamination adjacent to a mercury cell chlor alkali facility.
-- Successfully resolved a property damage suit in Alabama Federal Court for DDT contamination adjacent to a former DDT manufacturing plant.
-- Advised multiple commercial property owners regarding neighbor’s property contamination related to development and TCEQ regulations
-- Advised companies in commercial property transactions regarding future liabilities for UST systems and dry cleaner issues
-- Co-lead class counsel in Texas groundwater pollution class settlement against a Fortune 5 corporation.
-- Participated in negotiation of Railroad Commission consent decree for oil field E&P and pipeline releases;
-- Lead counsel successfully handling expert admissibility in a multi-day admissibility (Daubert) hearing in Federal Court for epidemiologic, radiation exposure, and toxicology experts for exposures from uranium strip mining in South Texas.
-- Handled toxicological, medical, epidemiological, engineering, and meteorological experts in a suit involving a hydrofluoric acid and dioxin releases from a Corpus Christi, Texas refinery fire.
-- Pro Bono legal consultations for a veterans group for radiation exposures at McMurdo Station, Antarctica.
-- Pro Bono legal and geologic consultations with citizens group opposing a Type IV landfill at the administrative hearing level. Handled TCEQ negotiations on behalf of citizens group.
-- Lead counsel on an environmental whistleblower wrongful termination trial.
-- Lead counsel on a residential flooding case that resolved during jury selection in Victoria, Texas.
-- Handled the hydrologic experts in a Brazoria County, Texas flooding case from a failed phasing of tollway construction in Harris County, Texas.
-- Experience in nation-wide federal multidistrict product liability litigation. Handled hydrogeological, biodegradation experts and assisted with toxicological and human factors experts.
-- Co-lead class counsel in Texas groundwater pollution class settlement against a Fortune 5 corporation.
-- Participated in seven class action lawsuits in Texas, Alabama, New York, and Tennessee mostly in Federal Court.