Zuckerman Spaeder Associate Alyssa M. Howard Named to D.C. Bar Foundation’s Young Lawyers Network Leadership Council
Zuckerman Spaeder LLP is pleased to announce that associate Alyssa M. Howard has been selected to serve on the D.C. Bar Foundation’s Young Lawyers Network Leadership Council (YLN LC). The YLN LC works to “further the goal of access to justice within the community” by serving “as ambassadors in order to promote DCBF’s mission and programs and to help raise additional resources to support local legal aid organizations.”
Ms. Howard’s practice focuses on health care litigation, white collar criminal defense, and investigations. She also maintains an active pro bono practice and has demonstrated a passion for expanding access to justice for underserved residents in the D.C. community.
Recently, in partnership with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Ms. Howard and the Zuckerman Spaeder team represented a legal permanent resident who was detained by a Florida county sheriff’s office on false suspicion of being in the United States unlawfully. The lawsuit challenged the sheriff’s discriminatory policy of detaining and referring all foreign-born individuals, or those perceived as foreign-born, to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency. The case was ultimately resolved through a settlement, which included significant reforms to the sheriff’s policies.
Ms. Howard has also played a significant role in other important projects, including filing amicus briefs on behalf of former commissioners of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calling for the reversal of a district court ruling that blocked the FDA’s decades-old approval of the abortion drug mifepristone and a group of nationally recognized health care experts opposing a drug manufacturer’s legal challenge to the recently enacted federal Drug Price Negotiation Program.
Reflecting on her new role, Ms. Howard commented, “It is an honor to be selected to serve on the YLN LC, and I look forward to collaborating with my new colleagues to support legal organizations in the District of Columbia. I firmly believe that these efforts are essential to guarantee that an individual’s access to justice does not hinge on income level.”
Zuckerman Spaeder has proudly supported the YLN LC for several years, including participating in its annual fundraising campaigns and within its leadership. Margarita K. O’Donnell, partner and co-chair of the firm’s pro bono practice, recently served a two-year term on the Council.