Howard Roin

Howard J. Roin is a civil litigator with more than 30 years of trial and appellate experience, primarily representing large businesses and financial institutions in complex, high stakes litigation.

His trial victories include a defense verdict in a three-month commercial trial in which the plaintiffs had sustained $150 million in money damages, a more than $60 million judgment on behalf of a bankruptcy estate, a defense verdict where the plaintiff claimed $20 million in damages, and a $9 million plaintiff’s verdict.

Howard also successfully briefed and argued appeals in federal and state courts around the country, including an en banc appeal in the United States Court of Appeals, an appeal that enforced repayment obligations for more than $1 billion of municipal bonds, and an appeal that affirmed an order compelling two civil defendants to surrender their passports.

Howard has experience and expertise across a broad spectrum of commercial litigation areas, including corporate disputes, consumer, business, and discrimination class actions; financial institutions and lender liability; securities and commodities fraud; bankruptcy disputes; employment termination and business separation (tortious interference, disclosure of confidential information, unfair competition, covenants not to compete); breach of contract; real estate and zoning; contested acquisitions; First Amendment and media regulation; equipment leasing; and trust and bond indentures.

As part of a Mayer Brown’s pro bono program, Howard also served as lead counsel in a high profile criminal trial, winning acquittal on all of the felony charges.

Howard is a magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Amherst College and an honors graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, where he was on the Law Review and Order of the Coif.

Prior to joining Mayer Brown, Howard served as Law Clerk to Judge George MacKinnon, US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and as Special Assistant to William Webster, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Education :

• The University of Chicago Law School, JD, with honors
• Amherst College, BA, magna cum laude

Admissions :

• Illinois
• US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
• US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
• US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
• US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

Experience :

• Successfully represented a finance company in a high profile case, winning a more than $450 million judgment, and when the defendant filed for bankruptcy protection, also winning an order that more than $80 million of the debt would not be discharged in bankruptcy, which ultimately led to complete denial of the debtor’s discharge in bankruptcy.
• Successfully represented a national bank in lender liability litigation, winning a $43 million judgment against multi-millionaire borrowers, and defeating the borrowers’ $80 million lender liability counterclaim.
• Successfully represented a bankruptcy estate in fraudulent transfer and turnover litigation, winning a more than $60 million judgment against the debtors and their family.
• Successfully represented an insurance company in a series of consumer class action cases in federal and state courts around the country, winning dismissal or denial of class certification.
• Successfully represented a bank in connection with the dissolution of a joint venture, and following expedited discovery and trial in Delaware Chancery Court, winning an order appointing a liquidating trustee to compel the former partner to assist the bank in its transition to a new, independent venture.