Howard D. Maycon has successfully litigated a wide array of civil cases while focusing his practice in the areas of wildfires, catastrophic property damage claims, energy/utility losses, product liability, construction defect, fine art & specie and commercial litigation. He is accomplished at handling significant subrogation and recovery cases against public and private utilities, major manufacturers, national contractors and government entities in mass tort events, including numerous California wildfires and the San Bruno Pipeline Explosion. Howard is widely recognized for his experience in litigating catastrophic wildfires and has been selected by his peers to serve as co-lead litigation counsel for the subrogation industry for every major California wildfire for the past several years, including the 2017 California North Bay Fire cases, 2017 Southern California Thomas and Rye Fires and 2018 Woolsey Fire. He is presently co-lead litigation counsel for the 2017 Creek Fire, 2019 Kincade and Saddle Ridge Fires and the 2020 Zogg Fire. Howard handles cases domestically and internationally, with significant experience in Asia. He has also successfully arbitrated before the International Chamber of Commerce in London, England.
In 2021, Howard was awarded the prestigious California Lawyer of the Year (“CLAY”) Award for his work as co-lead litigation counsel for the subrogation industry in the Woolsey Fire $2.2 billion settlement. In addition, he has been named as one of the Best Lawyers in America from 2020-2022.
Howard is the Managing Partner of the Los Angeles office of Cozen O’Connor. He currently sits on the firm’s Board of Directors, has served on the Management, Pro-Bono, Cross-Marketing and PAC committees and co-chaired its Shareholder Nomination Committee. In his role as the Western Region Subrogation Department Chair, Howard oversees lawyers handling matters in California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah. Howard is the editor of Cozen O'Connor's Subrogation & Recovery Law Blog and has authored blogs and publications in the areas of Inverse Condemnation, The Internet of Things and Its Impact on Subrogation and Cyber Risks to Utilities and Power Companies. Howard has presented at NASP and the California Conference of Arson Investigators. He frequently lectures to clients and organizations throughout the country addressing a wide range of litigation and practice area issues.
Howard has worked on a number of pro bono matters including procurement of reparations for Holocaust survivors, as well as providing legal counsel to Hurricane Katrina and Rita evacuees who were relocated to Los Angeles. Howard also participates in Los Angeles County’s Teen Court program in Santa Monica, an alternative to Juvenile court, where he guides the student jury through an actual trial including the deliberation process to reach a verdict and sentence, which is approved and enforced by the Los Angeles County Superior Court and Probation Department. Howard also volunteers his time at The Ronald McDonald House, food banks and homeless shelters in the greater Los Angeles area. He is a board member of the Hermosa Beach Education Foundation and Hermosa Beach Little League.
Howard earned his Bachelor of Arts at the College of William and Mary in 1992, where he was a three-year starter on the football team that earned a Lambert Cup Championship in 1990. He earned his law degree at Whittier College of Law in 1996. Outside the office, Howard enjoys spending time with his wife and their three children, who he has coached in football, baseball, softball and basketball.