Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC

Founded in 1869, Howard & Howard is a full-service law firm with a national and international practice that provides specialized legal services to businesses and business owners. The firm has offices in Michigan (Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo and Royal Oak); Peoria, Illinois; Las Vegas, Nevada and Toronto, Ontario. We focus on providing value and core legal specialties to our clients that are crucial to modern business success. In turn, our growth and client attraction has come from our reputation for creativity, practicality and providing solutions in a cost-conscious environment. We are innovative in the fee arrangements and flexible billing structures we offer. We understand the relationship between fees and objectives, measuring our success by how much we improve a client's bottom line.

Apprenticeship Loan Not Dischargeable in Bankruptcy
Michael Robert Lied, July 30, 2009
Michael Kesler was undoubtedly surprised that he could not discharge a union apprenticeship program loan in bankruptcy court. Kesler was an apprentice from 1996 to 2000 in a program operated by the Central Indiana District Council of Carpenters Joint Apprenticeship and Training Fund, a predecessor...

Criminal Prosecution under the Occupational Safety and Health Act
Michael Robert Lied, July 29, 2009
Employers do not typically think about the possibility of criminal liability under the Occupational Safety and Health Act ("Act"). However, Section 17(e) of the Act punishes any employer convicted of willfully violating any standard, rule, order or regulation prescribed pursuant to the...

Federal Labor Law Preempts Illinois Antitrust Claim
Michael Robert Lied, July 29, 2009
Ronald D. Smart, d/b/a Paschall Electric, contracted to perform electrical work for the construction of a sports complex. Smart alleged in his Complaint that the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union ("IBEW") threatened to shut down the building project if the project...