Philip K. Howard

Philip K. Howard is a well-known leader of government and legal reform in America, whose writings, advocacy initiatives, speeches, and reform proposals have figured prominently in national discussion. He is vice-chairman of Covington and Burling, LLP and the founder of Common Good.

He has advised national political leaders on legal and regulatory reform since the 1990s and is the author of Life Without Lawyers, as well as the best-seller The Death of Common Sense, and The Collapse of the Common Good. He also wrote the introduction to Vice President Al Gore's book, Common Sense Government.

Howard writes periodically for the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The New York Times, and has appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Oprah, Today, Good Morning America, Charlie Rose, the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, 20/20, Nightline, and numerous other programs. His talk at the TED conference has been widely distributed.

In 2002, Howard founded Common Good, a national bipartisan coalition organized to restore common sense to American public life. The advisory board of Common Good is composed of leaders from a broad cross-section of American political thought including, among others, former Senators Howard Baker, Bill Bradley, George McGovern and Alan Simpson. With the cooperation of a number of nonprofit organizations, Howard recently founded NewTalk.org, an online forum of thought leaders.

Howard has long been a civic leader in New York. He is chair of the committee that installed the "Tribute in Light" Memorial for those who died on September 11th. He is also chair-emeritus of the Municipal Art Society of New York.