About Edward Paxson Howard
Edward Paxson Howard IV is a seasoned public interest attorney based in Sacramento, California — He has been a member of the State Bar of California since 1991. Howard is the founder and principal of Howard Advocacy, a firm dedicated to consumer protection, civil rights, environmental law, administrative law, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Born on September 21, 1963, in Santa Monica, California, Howard earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from George Washington University in 1986. During his undergraduate years, he was actively involved in student leadership, serving as editor-in-chief of the yearbook, Cherry Tree, and as editorials editor for the student newspaper, The Hatchet. He also chaired the Senate Finance Committee as a student senator and founded Political Awareness Week at the university.
After completing his undergraduate studies, Howard pursued his Juris Doctor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, graduating in 1990. At Loyola, he was awarded the American Jurisprudence Award for Constitutional Law and served as Chief Justice of the Moot Court. Following law school, Howard began his legal career as an associate at Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker in Los Angeles, focusing on First Amendment and insurance coverage issues. He then transitioned to public interest law, serving as executive director and lead staff attorney for the Center for Law in the Public Interest from 1995 to 1998. In this role, he worked on significant cases, including the successful challenge to Proposition 187, which sought to deny public services to undocumented immigrants.
In 1999, Howard co-founded Kornarens and Howard, a litigation firm specializing in consumer rights, land use, health care, and civil rights. He later became Chief Policy Consultant and Special Counsel to State Senator Liz Figueroa, where he was instrumental in drafting and advocating for legislation in areas such as health care, insurance, and consumer rights. Since 2007, Howard has been senior counsel for the Children's Advocacy Institute and the Center for Public Interest Law at the University of San Diego School of Law. His work has led to the enactment of laws increasing transparency in foster care operations and aiding homeless and foster youth. He also served as senior counsel for the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, where he helped initiate major class-action managed care reform lawsuits against Aetna-U.S.
Healthcare and Kaiser Permanente. Throughout his career, Howard has been dedicated to advocating for consumer rights, civil liberties, and environmental protection. His experience in public interest law has made him a prominent figure in California's legal community.
