Howard Pikel has focused his practice on the asbestos product and premises liability defense. He oversees hundreds of asbestos lawsuits filed in Madison, Cook, and St. Clair Counties in Illinois, and in St. Louis City Court in Missouri. He has taken hundreds of depositions and is responsible for case evaluations, fact and expert discovery, dispositive motions, settlement negotiations, and obtaining hundreds of dismissals for clients without payment.
In addition to asbestos defense, Howard has substantial experience with investigating and preparing catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases for trial, which includes medical malpractice, pharmacy malpractice, legal malpractice, premises liability, auto/trucking liability, construction liability, lead poisoning and contamination, and product liability. He has tried numerous jury trials, as well as resolved many cases through mediations and judicial settlement conferences.
Howard has defended clients insured by ISMIE, Preferred Physicians Mutual Risk Retention Group, Lawrenceville Property & Casualty Co., Darwin, Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co., Liberty Mutual, Hiscox, AIG/Chartis, Markel Southwest, Philadelphia Insurance Companies, Travelers, Allstate, Great-West, Church Mutual Insurance Co. and Zurich. He has defended BP, Atlantic Richfield Company, Keeler Dorr Oliver, Pfizer, Interline Products and others in asbestos lawsuits.
Before joining Pretzel & Stouffer, Howard practiced at another firm where he defended cases involving fires, explosions, power tool injuries, construction negligence claims, church liability, and trucking injuries.
Howard began his career as a trial attorney with the Cook County State’s Attorney. He served as an assistant state’s attorney for fourteen years investigating and prosecuting hundreds of criminal defendants. He served as the supervisor for the Narcotics Felony Trial Unit, and as a member of the Juvenile and Felony Trial Divisions where he tried numerous jury and bench trials. He also taught search and seizure to local police departments and narcotics task force groups.
Education
- The John Marshall Law School, J.D. 1981
- University of Illinois at Chicago, B.A. 1977
Bar Admissions
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Missouri
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois – Trial Bar
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Maryland
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
Related Practices