American Bar Association honors SPLC board chair

Pictured with the award are (from left) board member Jim "Mac" McElroy, former board member Howard Mandell, board chair Alan Howard and SPLC President Richard Cohen.

The American Bar Association is presenting Alan Howard, who chairs the SPLC’s board of directors, with its 2014 Pro Bono Publico Award to honor his commitment to serving the vulnerable and disadvantaged.

“Alan has not only demonstrated an unswerving dedication to human rights and dignity, but great legal acumen, wisdom and ingenuity,” said SPLC President Richard Cohen. “Simply put, when faced with obstacles, Alan finds a path to justice. He is well-deserving of the American Bar Association’s recognition.”

Howard, a partner in Crowell & Moring’s New York City office, is receiving the award at the ABA Annual Meeting in Boston on Aug. 9. Each year, the ABA’s Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service presents the award to five lawyers and institutions who “have demonstrated outstanding commitment to volunteer legal services for the poor and disadvantaged.”

Howard joined the SPLC board of directors in 2009 and was elected chair in 2013.

He is currently spearheading, on a pro bono basis, the largest human trafficking case in U.S. history – coordinating a series of lawsuits that seek justice for hundreds of “guest workers” from India. These workers were lured to the United States by false promises of permanent residency. They each paid tens of thousands of dollars to obtain temporary jobs as welders and pipefitters at Gulf Coast shipyards only to find themselves forced into involuntary servitude and living in overcrowded, guarded labor camps.

This effort came after the SPLC filed David v. Signal in 2008, against Signal International, a marine fabrication company, and a network of recruiters and labor brokers. The case already has resulted in precedent-setting decisions.

But when the court denied a class certification motion in this case, Howard refused to give up the fight for justice. He helped convene the pro bono coordinators from many of the largest law firms in the country, asking them to represent trafficking victims who would have been part of the class action, if certified. His leadership resulted in nearly a dozen firms stepping up to the challenge and filing suit on behalf of more than 200 of the guest workers.

Seeking justice for the ‘Jena Six’

Howard also was honored for his pro bono efforts in the “Jena Six” case in Louisiana. He not only helped successfully resolve the criminal and civil cases that sparked national outrage but personally intervened in the troubled life of one of the teens accused in the case.

The case gained national prominence in 2007 after a prosecutor in the small town of Jena, Louisiana, charged six African-American youths with attempted murder of a white teen in connection with a schoolyard incident. The SPLC was representing one of the teens known as the Jena Six and coordinating the defense strategy for the others when Howard offered his pro bono assistance. He quickly became an invaluable resource to the entire team and helped resolve a civil case stemming from the incident.

In the end, five of the teens pleaded no contest to misdemeanor simple battery charges; each paid small fines and received a week of unsupervised probation. The other youth had earlier pleaded guilty to second-degree battery as a juvenile. The civil case was resolved with a confidential settlement.

Howard also turned out to be a lifeline for one of the teens, Jesse Ray Beard. When he first became involved in the case, Beard had been under house arrest for almost a year, permitted to leave his home only to attend school or church, or to run errands with his mother. After the SPLC was able to get the judge recused because of his bias, a key factor in persuading the new judge to release Beard from house arrest was Howard’s plan to take him into his home.

He became Beard’s legal guardian in a remarkable effort to give the teen a fresh start away from Jena. He enrolled the youth in the Canterbury School, a Connecticut prep school, and helped pay tuition. Beard worked in Howard’s previous law firm and became part of the Howard family. Since high school, he has attended Hofstra University with Howard’s support.

“Alan has clearly proven his dedication to human rights as a champion for those who face abuse, discrimination and bigotry in our society,” Cohen said.

Alan Howard

2014 Pro Bono Publico Awardee