Complex litigation, argued at the highest level.
For more than 35 years, Derek G. Howard has served as Co-Lead Counsel in nationwide class actions against Fortune 500 corporations — securing landmark recoveries in antitrust, consumer protection, business fraud, and sports law.
Recognition
- Northern California Super Lawyer (since 2007)
- Top 100 Super Lawyers, Northern California (2016)
- Top 100 High Stakes Litigators, Northern California (2018)
- Finalist — Trial Lawyer of the Year, Consumer Attorneys of California (2015)
- Member — Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- Top 100 Northern California Trial Lawyers — National Trial Lawyers of America
For more than 35 years, Derek G. Howard has served as Co-Lead Counsel in nationwide class actions against Fortune 500 corporations — securing landmark cash recoveries in trust cases, antitrust, consumer protection, business fraud, and sports law.
Complex Litigation & Class Actions
Co-Lead Counsel in nationwide class actions against Fortune 500 corporations, with newsworthy and groundbreaking monetary recoveries.
- Nationwide Class Actions
- Trust Litigation
- Consumer Protection
- Business Fraud & Financial Abuse
Antitrust & Sports Law
Decades of antitrust counseling — from Pillsbury Madison & Sutro to the firm today — paired with a USF Master's in Sport Management and a teaching post in Sport Law.
- Antitrust & Unfair Competition
- Sports Law & Governance
- Sport Administration
- Mediation & Settlement Facilitation
A record of landmark recoveries.
- 01
In re TFT-LCD Antitrust Litigation
N.D. Cal., 2013
$1.1 billion cash settlement for consumer electronics purchasers — the largest antitrust cash recovery for consumers at the time.
- 02
In re Medical Capital Investment Litigation
C.D. Cal., 2014
$232 million settlement fund for investors who lost money in the “Medcap” Ponzi scheme operated through an indentured trust at two of the country's leading banks.
- 03
Guyette v. Viacom, Inc.
Alameda Superior Ct., 2003
Return of over $14 million in refunds of illegal fees surcharged to more than one million cable customers in the San Francisco Bay Area.
- 04
Scala v. Citibank
N.D. Cal., 2011
Consolidated class action returning small investors' money lost in a San Francisco-based Ponzi scheme operated through Citibank branches.
Three decades, three disciplines.
Derek G. Howard began his career in 1986 at Pillsbury Madison & Sutro, specializing in antitrust counseling and complex litigation for Fortune 500 companies. In 1999 he co-founded Murray & Howard LLP, serving as Managing Partner through 2010, before joining Minami Tamaki LLP as Of Counsel and ultimately founding The Derek G. Howard Law Firm in Mill Valley.
He earned a B.A. in Political Science and Urban Studies from the University of Pennsylvania (1980), a Juris Doctor from Golden Gate University School of Law (1984), and a Master's Degree in Sport Management from the University of San Francisco (2009), where he continues to teach as Adjunct Professor of Sport Law.
Howard has served as a Special Master in Marin County, on the Board of Governors of the Consumer Attorneys of California, and as a Discovery Motion Facilitator and voluntary settlement mediator for the Marin County Superior Court.
- Years in Practice
- 35+
- Class Action Recoveries
- $1B+
Frequently called upon by national press.
Reporters at NPR, FOX, NBC, and Georgia Public Broadcasting turn to Derek for perspective on sports law, antitrust, dynamic pricing, and consumer protection — most recently on FIFA's 2026 World Cup ticketing practices.
- NPRPrint Interview · May 28, 2026
FIFA's World Cup ticket sales outraged fans. Now they are under investigation.
Quoted on FIFA's pricing opacity and "scare tactics," arguing that mid-sale category shifts could amount to a bait-and-switch as New York and New Jersey attorneys general opened a joint probe.
Read / Watch - FOX 11 Los AngelesTelevision · April 6, 2026
FIFA World Cup 26 ticket prices drawing fan outrage.
On-air analysis of category-one tickets climbing from $6,370 to nearly $11,000 in a single sales cycle, and the consumer-protection theories that could follow the tournament.
Read / Watch - Georgia Public BroadcastingRadio Interview · April 3, 2026
Waiting for FIFA World Cup prices to come down? 'Don't hold your breath.'
Long-form radio interview on dynamic pricing, FIFA's monopoly posture, the $11B revenue projection, and the limited remedies available to fans, cities, and states.
Read / Watch - NBC Bay Area · Press:HereTelevision · Sunday Broadcast
What e-bike companies aren't telling parents.
Sunday morning public-affairs segment on the consumer-safety gap around high-powered e-bikes marketed to minors, and the disclosures manufacturers omit at the point of sale.
Read / Watch - USF Sport ManagementVideo Feature · Alumni Feature
Derek Howard ('09) — Sport Management alum and Sports Law professor.
Alumni spotlight from the University of San Francisco on his path from the graduate program in Sport Management to teaching Sport Law and building a national class-action practice.
Read / Watch
On the lectern and in the classroom.
Selected lectures, panels, and teaching engagements on class actions, antitrust, elder financial fraud, electronic discovery, and the development of sport and society.
- 2013
Vanderbilt University School of Law
Guest Lecturer — Developments in Class Actions
- Ongoing
University of San Francisco
Adjunct Professor — Sport Law fundamentals, Graduate Sport Management
- 2011
ABA Conference on Class Actions
Panelist — New Developments in Class Actions, New York
- 2010–2013
Consumer Attorneys of California
Co-Chair — Donald L. Galine Annual Tahoe Seminar
- 2008–2010
Legal Assistance for Seniors
Presenter — Financial Fraud and the Elders, Oakland
Let's discuss your matter.
The firm represents clients nationally in complex litigation and offers hourly, contingency, and hybrid engagement structures. Inquiries are handled with absolute confidentiality.
Law Firm
42 Miller Avenue
Mill Valley, CA 94941
415-432-7192
info@derekhowardlaw.com