Columbia County Assistant Public Defender Michael Howard Receives Award

ALBANY, NY (07/24/2012)(readMedia)-- Michael C. Howard, of Hudson, NY, received recognition Monday night for the quality of representation he provides to public defense clients in Columbia County. The presentation occurred during the 45th Annual Meeting and Conference of the New York State Defenders Association (NYSDA).

Superlatives abounded in the description of Howard and his work. Columbia County Public Defender Arlene Levinson and First Assistant Public Defender Robert W. Linville praised not only Howard's skill but also his empathy for clients, personal contact with and assistance to the client community, and advocacy for both his clients' rights and the integrity of the criminal justice process. They described Howard as an attorney who reflexively and immediately seeks to learn everything about clients and their cases,including whether the police acted within the law – a "policeman of the police." Howard, they concluded, "is the epitome of the ideals of Wilfred R. O'Connor," in whose honor the award given to Howard was created.

Pace Law School Professor Jay C. Carlisle, II said in support of Howard'snomination, "He is a true hero of our profession who brings respect and honor to his colleagues." Howard's "tenacity and brilliance" is respected by the judges before whom he appears, Carlisle wrote, and his "trial skills and plea bargaining abilities are praised by experienced members of the bar." Like Levinson and Linville, Carlisle also highlighted Howard's concern for his clients.

Judge Richard M. Koweek similarly lauded Howard's "professionalism and his commitment to his clients." Regardless of his caseload size, Koweek added, Howard always completed the research and investigation necessary to zealously advocate for his clients "with a sense of competency and fervor."

Wilfred R. O'Connor was a founding member and long-time President of NYSDA. The NYSDA Board of Directors created the Wilfred R. O'Connor Award to remember Bill and honor his sustained commitment to the client-centered representation of the poor. The award is presented to an attorney who has been in practice fifteen or more years, practices in the area of public defense, and exemplifies the client-centered sense of justice, persistence, and compassion that characterized Bill's life. He served as a legal aid lawyer in Brooklyn and Queens, as director of the Queens Legal Aid office, as a member of Legal Aid's Attica Defense Team, as director of the Prison Legal AssistantsProgram, and as president of NYSDA from 1978 to 1989. He went on to complete his career as a judge in New York City. His beliefs were clear: every defendant, regardlessof race, color, creed, or economic status, deserves a day in court and zealous client centered representation.

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