Howard & Howard Attorney to Speak at the Michigan Downtown Association Conference
7/10/2012
Royal Oak, Michigan, July 10, 2012: J. Patrick Howe, an attorney with Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC, will be speaking at the Michigan Downtown Association Muskegon Conference on July 12-13, 2012. He will be participating in a panel discussion called “Making it Legal and Making it Tasty.” As part of the discussion, Mr. Howe will discuss recent regulatory reforms affecting the hospitality industry, and will explain how downtown development directors can leverage liquor licenses and available efficiencies in the liquor license application process to attract new hospitality development in their downtown districts.
Mr. Howe concentrates his practice in the areas of real estate (zoning, special land use permitting, leasing, buy/sell transactions), commercial transactions (asset/stock acquisitions, mergers, reorganizations), business law (entity selection and formation, tax registration), and hospitality law (local and national liquor licensing, purchase/sale of hospitality businesses, liquor law violations, multi-unit ownership transfers, management/concession agreements, special event permitting, and general counsel regarding the Michigan Liquor Control Code).
Mr. Howe has broad experience representing a wide range of hospitality clients based both in Michigan and throughout the United States. He regularly advocates before local governmental units for various licensing, zoning, site plan, land use and variance approvals, and represents clients before the Michigan Liquor Control Commission in connection with licensing matters and violation hearings. Mr. Howe assists liquor licensed restaurants, hotels, resorts, golf courses, bars and clubs with the acquisition or sale of assets, stock, membership interests, and liquor licenses, all of which must be uniquely structured due to the role that the Michigan Liquor Control Commission has in such transactions. Mr. Howe's hospitality practice is both local and national. He has vast experience working on projects throughout the state of Michigan, and has developed an expertise in coordinating developments through the City of Detroit approval processes. On a national level, Mr. Howe serves as coordinating counsel for multi-unit hospitality clients to oversee the development and licensing of new projects across the United States.
In addition to his hospitality practice, Mr. Howe also counsels a wide range of businesses on real estate matters, commercial transactions, and business formation. He serves as general counsel to various small businesses and entrepreneurs advising on start-up and general corporate matters.
Mr. Howe received his J.D. from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 2005, his Master of Urban Planning from Wayne State University in 2009, and his B.A., with honors, from the University of Michigan in 2002. Mr. Howe's dual degrees in law and planning provides him with a unique perspective on the development process, and his graduate studies afforded him the opportunity to better understand the theory and interests often advocated by community planners and other municipal decision makers. While attending law school, Mr. Howe received numerous academic awards, and served as Executive Editor of The University of Detroit Mercy Law Review.
Mr. Howe is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and its Administrative & Regulatory Law Section Council, Real Property Law Section and Zoning & Land Use Committee. He is also a member of the Alliance of Alcohol Industry Attorneys and Consultants and HospitalityLawyer.com. In addition, he is an active member of the Urban Land Institute, serving as Co-Chair of the Urban Land Institute - Detroit Young Leaders Group. Prior to joining Howard & Howard, Mr. Howe was a partner at Carlin, Edwards, Brown & Howe, PLLC, and started his legal career at Plunkett Cooney, P.C.
Founded in 1869, Howard & Howard is a full-service law firm with a national and international practice that provides legal services to businesses and business owners. The firm has offices in Michigan (Ann Arbor and Royal Oak); Illinois (Chicago and Peoria); and Las Vegas, Nevada. Howard & Howard’s major areas of practice expertise include: business and corporate; commercial litigation; construction law; creditors’ rights; employee benefits; environmental; estate planning; intellectual property; international; labor, employment and immigration; mergers & acquisitions; real estate; securities and tax. Our focused expertise provides us with a solid understanding of the industries we serve, including, automotive; energy and utilities; financial services and gaming. For more information, please visit the firm’s website at www.howardandhoward.com.
