Judge Howell is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and Texas Tech University School of Law. He started his legal career as a law clerk to Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson of the Supreme Court of Texas. He then worked as a trial and appellate litigator in the Austin offices of Baker Botts and McKool Smith, and as an Assistant Solicitor General in the Texas Attorney General’s Office.

He is board certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Prior to joining the federal bench, Judge Howell served for over three years as a state district judge for Travis County, Texas. He lives in Austin with his wife and four boys, ages 5, 7, 12, and 14.