Chuck Howard serves as General Counsel to Shipman & Goodwin. From 1985-2000 he was Chair of the Litigation Department.
Chuck Howard has extensive litigation experience in state and federal court in a wide range of matters, including over seventy-five appeals. His intellectual property litigation experience encompasses copyright, trademark, trade secret, covenant not to compete and patent litigation, including proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. His business and public sector litigation experience includes representation of business clients in many diverse matters, and representation of the State of Connecticut, quasi-public state agencies, and municipalities.
Chuck is the author of The Organizational Ombudsman: Origins, Roles and Operations-A Legal Guide, and has a national practice in representing organizational ombudsmen at universities and multinational corporations. Click to read reviews of the book, which is also available for purchase on amazon.com. He has lectured and written extensively on ombuds and related topics. In January of 2002, he was appointed by the United States Sentencing Commission to serve as one of sixteen members to a national Advisory Group to review and recommend revisions to the federal organizational sentencing guidelines.
Chuck is an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association. He was an Assistant Attorney General for Attorney General John C. Danforth of Missouri from 1975-1976.
- Award of Special Recognition, International Ombudsman Association (2012)
- AV Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell
- Listed as a Connecticut Super Lawyer®: Intellectual Property Litigation; 2006, (2009-2012)
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America®: Commercial Litigation (2007-2013); Arbitration, Mediation (2013)
- Connecticut Supreme Court Judicial-Media Committee; Member
- Connecticut Criminal Justice Commission, Commissioner (1995-2005)
- Connecticut Judicial Selection Commission (1992-1995)
- Connecticut Commission on the Compensation of State Elected Officials and Judges (1983-1991)
- James W. Cooper Fellow, Connecticut Bar Foundation
- Connecticut Secretary of State Public Service Award
- Trustee appointed by Superior Court for clients of disbarred lawyers
- American Bar Association
- Connecticut Bar Association
- Hartford County Bar Association
- Missouri Bar Association
- American Intellectual Property Law Association
- American Arbitration Association: Arbitrator
- Oliver Ellsworth Inn of Court
- Connecticut Supreme Court Historical Society: Incorporator; Board of Directors; Treasurer
- Simsbury Land Trust: President and Member of Board of Trustees
- Lawyers for Children America: Pro Bono Attorney
- Town Of Simsbury Charter Revision Commission (2004-2006): Chair
- First Church of Christ, Simsbury: Former President
Dismissal of Unfair Trade Practices Class Action Claim for National Retailer For Alleged Erroneous Collection of State Sales Tax
Successfully asserted that plaintiff should have exhausted administrative remedies in connection with suit seeking certification of class action for claims under the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act for alleged failure to deduct value of coupons prior to computing and collecting sales tax. Blass v. Rite Aid of Connecticut, Inc., 51 Conn. Sup. 622 (2009). Dismissal affirmed on appeal, Blass v. Rite Aid of Connecticut, Inc., 127 Conn. App. 569 (2011).
Successful Defense of Quasi-Public State Authority
Representation of housing authority in successful defense of suits seeking to compel authority to permit pre-payment of mortgages. Renaissance Management Co. v. Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, 281 Conn. 227 (2007); Woodrow Wilson of Middletown, LLC v. Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, 294 Conn. 639 (2010).