Sarah Riley Howard specializes in federal litigation and appeals. She leads Warner's White Collar Criminal Defense practice and advises and represents both businesses and individuals. She also concentrates her practice in complex civil litigation – helping businesses and individuals bring, defend and prevent federal constitutional rights claims and statutory actions.

In summer 2007, as a senior associate, Sarah took a three-month leave of absence from Warner to backpack around the world with her husband, visiting 15 countries and five continents. The experience gave her an invaluable and rare perspective on people, places and life in general.

Representative Experience

• Served as counsel for bank in federal receivership, class action and cases pending in several states arising out of failure of viatical firm with portfolio in excess of $200 million; favorable settlement reached. In re Trade Partners, Inc., 1:07-MD-01846 (W.D. Mich.); Quilling v. Trade Partners, Inc., 1:03-CV-236 (W.D. Mich.); and related mass action in Kent County Circuit Court
• Argued at the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth and Seventh Circuits, and appeared in the Fourth Circuit and Federal Tax Court. Successfully argued an appeal in a court-appointed prisoner civil rights case, obtaining a reversal of the trial court decision that it lacked personal jurisdiction. Howard v. Whitbeck, 382 F.3d 633 (6th Cir. 2004)
• Filed two petitions for certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court
• Handled more than 20 matters in Michigan appellate courts. Successes include several wins without oral argument, grants of requests for interlocutory relief, and an oral argument in the Michigan Court of Appeals resulting a rare, partial reversal of a trial court denial of a motion for attorney fees. Day v. HME, Inc., No. 269446, 2007 WL 3120942 (Mich. Ct. App. Oct. 25, 2007)
• Enjoyed victories in the Michigan Supreme Court in both applications for and against leave to appeal, and in merits briefing, including:
  
  • Wrote an amicus brief for the Michigan Supreme Court, urging acceptance of an application for leave to appeal to reverse the Court of Appeals. The Michigan Supreme Court granted the application, and reversed the Court of Appeals. Morales v. Auto-Owners Ins. Co., 469 Mich. 487 (2003).
  • Wrote an application for leave that the Michigan Supreme Court granted, where it summarily vacated and remanded to the Court of Appeals. Cordova Chemical Co. of Michigan, et al. v. Cranford Ins. Co., Docket No. 125531, Order Vacating Court of Appeals Opinion and Remanding (June 30, 2004)
    
• Represented clients in defending various white collar criminal charges, including environmental and regulatory offenses, and in pre-charge negotiations with the United States Attorney’s Office and state prosecutors. Conducted internal investigations
• Counseled newspaper clients and others with First Amendment, libel and slander concerns, relying on experience as a college newspaper editor of The Western Herald, which had a circulation of more than 20,000 and published four times weekly

Honors and Awards

• Carl Gussin Memorial Prize for student trial advocacy work, 2001
• Campbell Moot Court Competition, quarterfinalist, 2001

Bar Associations

Professional Affiliations

• National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys
  
• Women Lawyers Association of Michigan
  

News

• Warner Norcross Names Three Attorneys as Partners
• Warner Norcross Attorney Selected as Coeditor for DRI Appellate Publication