John W. Howard

A corporate and business litigator for more than thirty years, John Howard has distinguished himself both at trial and in his ability to successfully short-circuit major lawsuits through the skillful use of early motions.  He has handled more than one hundred cases though trial, mediation, arbitration and dismissal throughout his career.

In 1986, Mr. Howard became general counsel of one of San Diego’s largest and most successful privately held companies, parlaying his litigation skills to implement loss mitigation and insurance programs that not only resulted in reducing claims and preventing litigation but, also, substantially reducing insurance costs and fees to outside lawyers by more than one million dollars.

He brought his experience in litigating major corporate disputes to the skill of corporate governance, negotiating and drafting contracts and addressing corporate and regulatory compliance issues.  He instituted policies that successfully minimized the risk of litigation and reduced legal claims by 80%.

Mr. Howard served in that capacity until 1995 when he returned to private practice, establishing JW Howard/Attorneys to bring his combination of major corporate transactional experience and litigation skill to other companies.  Since that time he has assisted dozens of companies in creating structures that prevent claims; efficiently litigating those that cannot be avoided and negotiating protective agreements that mean disputes never arise.

John Howard is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell and is listed among “Preeminent Lawyers” by that organization. That is the highest rating possible for competence and ethics.
(Peer Review Rating:AV® Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5)
(http://www.martindale.com/John-W-Howard/207849-lawyer.htm?view=cr)
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Michelle Volk

In 2002, Michelle Volk began her career at an insurance defense law firm representing hospitals, doctors, and nursing homes in medical malpractice and elder abuse cases in Riverside, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties.  While there, Ms. Volk represented the firm for marketing purposes and attended numerous seminars, conferences and other events related to the medical-legal and insurance defense industries.

In 2004, Ms. Volk joined a small firm as an associate and assisted with the prosecution and defense of all kinds of civil disputes, including business litigation, breach of contract, fraud, and unfair competition.  While at this firm, Ms. Volk co-chaired two jury trials involving breach of oral contract and fraud, both of which resulted in a verdict in our clients’ favor.  One of those cases, Mancinelli v. Rusty’s Unique Designs, et al., resulted in a verdict in excess of one million dollars including attorney’s fees, and was featured on the front page of Jury Verdicts magazine.

In late 2005, Ms. Volk joined JW Howard/Attorneys and assisted with managing the firm’s litigation case load, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal court.  Since joining the firm, Ms. Volk has handled numerous cases and matters, most of which involved breach of contract, negligence and fraud and all of which were business and corporate disputes.

Prior to attending law school, Ms. Volk earned a Bachelor’s Degree from University of California, San Diego in 1997 and received honors from the Department of Urban Studies and Planning.  While in college and prior to enrolling in law school, Ms. Volk worked as an aide to a partner at Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich currently known as DLA Piper.  In 2001, Ms. Volk received a law degree from California Western and received the Alec Cory Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service.

Since May 2006, Ms. Volk has served as a Member of the California Western Alumni Association Board of Directors and is currently the Chair of the Recruitment Committee.  She has also served as Chair and Co-Chair to the Fostering Community Committee and has assisted with the Board’s annual charity auction which has raised thousands of dollars for the Board’s chosen charity benefitting the local community.