Litigating alcohol beverage, commercial, appellate and class actions

An experienced litigator, Brian Howie brings deep knowledge of the industries in which his clients operate to the advice and representation he provides. He focuses his practice on:

• Alcohol beverage law, including regulatory compliance, supplier-distributor issues, legislative activity at the state and federal level, and dispute resolution
• Complex commercial litigation, including trade channel and distributor/dealer litigation and class actions
• Appellate litigation

Tailoring both litigation prevention and litigation strategies to the operational realities and specific business needs of his clients, Brian has represented clients in the alcohol beverage, direct sales, oil and gas, and financial services industries in state and federal courts nationwide.

Bar Admissions

• Arizona
• District of Columbia
• Virginia

Education

• Middlebury College (B.A., magna cum laude, 1993)
  • Phi Beta Kappa

• Washington and Lee University School of Law (J.D., summa cum laude, 1996)
  • John W. Davis Prize (valedictorian)
  • Order of the Coif
  • Washington and Lee Law Review, senior articles editor and staff writer
  • Hon. Rhesa H. Barksdale, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, clerk (1996-1997)

• 1800 Ocotillo, LLC v. The WLB Group, Inc.: Arizona Supreme Court Upholds Liability-Limitation Clauses
• Appraisers Beware: Arizona Court Finds Appraisers Have Duty to Homebuyer
• Federal District Courts that Stay Proceedings and Compel Arbitration Retain Jurisdiction to Confirm or Vacate the Resulting Arbitral Award
• Oral Arguments Point to Upholding Limits on Transgender Participation in Women's Sports
• Rent-A-Center v. Jackson: Delegation of Unconscionability Challenges to Arbitrators
• Supreme Court Clarifies Standard of Review for Asylum Persecution Determinations
• Supreme Court Limits Voting Rights Act, Strikes Down Louisiana Congressional Map, and Signals Ongoing Skepticism of Race-Conscious State Action
• Supreme Court Reverses Billion-Dollar Copyright Verdict, Holds Internet Service Provider Is Not Contributorily Liable for Subscribers' Infringement
• Supreme Court Rules Negligent-Hiring Claims Against Transportation Brokers in Interstate Commerce Are Not Preempted by the FAAAA
• Supreme Court Rules New Jersey Transit Is Not Entitled to Sovereign Immunity
• Supreme Court Rules That "Transportation Worker" Exemption from Federal Arbitration Act Can, at Least Sometimes, Apply to Workers Who Do Not Cross State Lines and Do Not Interact with Vehicles That Do
• The "Sham Affidavit" Rule: Not Quite As Broad as You Might Have Thought

Seminar

• Evolving Landscape