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Howard Langer
Howard Langer

Academic

  • Professor of Law (Adjunct) University of Pennsylvania Law School 2004-2023
  • Visiting Fellow, Centre for Competition Law and Policy , Oxford 2009
  • Visiting Professor, University of Tokyo Law School, 2014

Admissions

  • Pennsylvania
  • Supreme Court of the United States
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of California
  • United States District Court for the Western District of New York

 

Howard is a founding member of the firm. He graduated from the City College of New York in 1973, received his master’s degree in literature from the University of Toronto in 1973, and his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1977. Howard is a Professor of Law (Adjunct, 2004-2023) at the University of Pennsylvania Law School where he teaches antitrust law.

He has been a visiting professor at the University of Tokyo Law School and a visiting fellow at the Centre for Competition Law and Policy at Oxford. 

Representative Cases

    • In re Nat’l Football League’s Sunday Ticket Antitrust Litig., No. 17-56119, 2019 WL 3788253 (9th Cir. Aug. 13, 2019) which reversed a dismissal of plaintiffs’ claim that the National Football League’s “Sunday Ticket” marketed with DirecTV violated the Sherman Act.
    • Reyes v. Netdeposit, LLC, 802 F. 3d 469 (3d Cir. 2015) definitively established the propriety of the consumer class action under the Racketeering and Corrupt Organizations Act. After the Third Circuit reversed denial of class certification in this case, the case settled for $37.5 million, the full damages inflicted on the class. Over 300,000 class members were sent their recoveries without the need to file claims.
    • Faloney v. Wachovia Bank, N.A., 254 F.R.D. 204 (E.D. Pa. 2008) a class action, brought under the RICO Act, alleged that a major national bank abetted over one hundred fraudulent telemarketing schemes. The bank was required to mail checks totaling over $150 million to over 500,000 persons representing a full recovery of all funds that had been taken from the victims’ accounts. It represents the largest consumer recovery ever within the Third Circuit.
    • In re Linerboard Antitrust Litig., 305 F.3d 145 (3d Cir. 2002) alleged a national conspiracy by manufacturers of corrugated boxes to restrict output and raise prices. After Howard argued a landmark appeal affirming the district court’s certification of a national class of box purchasers, the case settled for over $200 million which was, at the time, among the largest antitrust recoveries and was for many years the largest such recovery in the Third Circuit.
    • Laumann v. National Hockey League, No. 12-1817 (S.D.N.Y. 2015) and Garber v. Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, No. 12-3704 (S.D.N.Y. 2015), in which, after hard-fought litigation, the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball settled antitrust allegations related to the leagues’ division of broadcast markets to protect home teams from competition in their geographic territory. The settlements significantly reduced prices to millions of consumers and have been valued at more than $200 million.
    • Beilowitz v. General Motors Corp., 233 F. Supp. 2d 631 (D.N.J. 2002), in which the court entered a preliminary injunction enjoining implementation of a new national parts distribution plan by General Motors, remains among the leading cases under the New Jersey Franchise Practices Act.

Publications/Presentations

    • Competition Law in the United States (4th Edition, 2019 Wolters Kluwer).

Awards/Memberships

Howard has won numerous awards for his work in the public interest, among them:

    • Justice William J. Brennan Award for Pro Bono Service, Philadelphia Bar Association 2019
    • Equal Justice Award, Community Legal Service 2006
    • Social Justice Award, Jewish Social Policy Network 2011
    • Howard is a member of the boards of the Public Interest Law Center, the Magee Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation and The Hotline for Refugees and Migrants (Israel). He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Philadelphia
    • He is a life member of the American Law Institute
    • Best Lawyers 2021 ranked Howard as the leading antitrust lawyer in Philadelphia. Chambers & Partners USA Guide has written: “‘Terrific’ Howard Langer, ‘does a spectacular job for his client,’ acknowledge his peers. They attribute his success to his “clear thinking, knowledge of the law and understanding of economic theory.”

Public Interest

Howard founded the firm with John Grogan with a goal of providing access to justice to those who would not otherwise have that access. The firm’s work in the public interest has been frequently recognized. In 2006, each of its named partners received the Equal Justice Award of Community Legal Services. Howard also was instrumental in establishing the Langer Grogan & Diver Fund for Social Justice and the Langer Grogan & Diver Social Justice Fellowship at the Law School of University of Pennsylvania.

Howard is a member of the Board of Directors of the Public Interest Law Center, and Howard also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Magee Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation.

Howard has had a particular interest in the rights of guest workers. He successfully defended, pro bono, leading human rights organizations in a defamation suit brought by an alleged major human trafficker, ultimately winning thousands of dollars in sanctions. Orian v. Federation Intern. des Droits de L’Homme, 2012 WL 994643 (C.D.Cal. 2012).