VLJ is honored to announce Nathan Howe as its January 2020 Volunteer of the Month. Nathan is an associate with McCarter & English, LLP where he assists clients in energy regulatory and transactional matters, as well as complex environmental and commercial litigation. Nathan has volunteered with VLJ for three years, becoming one of VLJ’s expungement clinic’s most committed and frequent volunteers.
Nathan has dedicated a large portion of his life to public service. Prior to joining McCarter & English, he served as an assistant county prosecutor for Somerset County, New Jersey. Through VLJ's longstanding partnership with McCarter, Nathan found the opportunity to contribute his expertise on the criminal legal system with VLJ’s reentry program, ReLeSe.
As a clinic volunteer, Nathan works vigorously to provide our clients with a clear understanding of their criminal backgrounds and advises them accordingly. When asked what distinguishes volunteerism from being a public servant, Nathan said, “You’re fulfilling a role that society doesn’t necessarily provide. But there is obviously a pressing need for it. And so that’s why I think volunteerism for an organization like VLJ is filling those gaps and providing services to people who very much need them but can’t necessarily get them anywhere else.”
Filling the gap is important to Nathan because he uniquely understands the debilitating effect having a criminal record has on our clients, including their ability to earn a living and secure housing. Nathan is also keenly aware of the tremendous impact expungement plays to overcome these obstacles and shared “that as a state, we do nothing to help give them representation to help them get back on their feet.” Nathan not only meets with clients directly, but he also mentors other attorneys who are less familiar with this practice area and promotes pro bono within the firm.
Nathan equips VLJ’s clients with knowledge and an understanding of the law and gives them the confidence and legal advice necessary to move forward with their lives. Nathan’s enthusiasm and expertise is an invaluable asset for VLJ and we are honored to recognize Nathan Howe as January’s Volunteer of the Month, the first honoree of the decade!