Hayden J. Howlett, Esq.

As the Principal Attorney at Silverpine Law, Mr. Howlett oversees the law firm’s operations and represents clients in business-related matters in state and federal courts across the country. His cases primarily concern copyright infringement, trade-secret misappropriation, commercial lease disputes, business fraud, and business contract breaches. 

Mr. Howlett previously worked in business litigation groups at larger law firms in downtown DC and Baltimore, where most of the cases concerned large and midsize companies battling over very large sums of money. He created Silverpine Law to serve clients whose needs cannot be efficiently met by the larger firms where partners must bill at $1000+ per hour to cover their overhead expenses.

While in law school, Mr. Howlett was selected to spend nine months working directly with The Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the United States District Court in DC. Having since moved to “Senior” status, Judge Kollar-Kotelly remains one of the longest-serving and best-respected judges on the federal bench. Working with this elite federal judge gave Mr. Howlett valuable insight regarding how business cases are decided in the real world. The practical realities of the court system differ in important ways from the theoretical models taught in even the best law schools. Litigation attorneys without a judicial experience like this lack an insider’s knowledge of the court system that is extremely useful when guiding clients through the litigation process.

Mr. Howlett earned his law degree on scholarship at George Washington University in DC. Under the USNWR ranking system, the school then ranked in the top 10% of national law schools overall, the top 15% for its trial advocacy program, the top 10% for business law, and the top 2% for intellectual property law. Mr. Howlett’s studies were focused in these nationally-top-ranked areas. While in law school, he won numerous awards at competitions simulating courtroom trials, appellate oral arguments, commercial arbitrations, and commercial negotiations, earning the distinction “Best Oral Advocate.” He was also selected to serve as Associate Editor for the quarterly journal published by the American Intellectual Property Law Association. His research paper concerned misappropriation of trade secrets in international business.

Before law school, Mr. Howlett was a commercial litigation paralegal assisting attorneys in the courtroom during federal trials and appellate oral arguments in state supreme courts. He earned an undergraduate degree in quantitative economics and business, with honors, on full-ride merit scholarship. He has served as a debate coach and public-speaking coach at multiple high schools, and as a courtroom trial coach at George Washington University Law School. 

Mr. Howlett is a licensed member of the District of Columbia Bar and the Virginia State Bar. He is also a member of the Bars of the following federal courts: Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Eastern District of Virginia, and Western District of Virginia. He handles state and federal cases in other locations through association with local counsel, most commonly in the federal trial courts in Pennsylvania, California, Florida, and Delaware.