Barbara J. Howard has practiced in the area of family law her entire legal career, which has been her sole focus for at least the last 20 years. Her practice covers domestic relations, paternity and related juvenile law. She has been certified by the Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA) as a Family Relations Law Specialist since it was first made available in 1999. Howard is also certified in Collaborative Law, and is a member of the Cincinnati Academy of Collaborative Professionals (CACP).

A past president of the Cincinnati Bar Association, Howard presently serves on the Board of the Cincinnati Bar Foundation as well as the Volunteer Lawyers for the Poor. She is very active in both the American Bar Association and the OSBA. Howard has been one of nine attorneys and judges working through the OSBA Family Law Committee to re-write Ohio’s spousal support statute, an effort that has spanned over six years. Howard is also active in non-legal aspects of the Cincinnati community. She has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Xavier University since 1995. She also serves on the Boards of Trustees of the Athenaeum, Cincinnati Union Bethel and the Corporate Guild of Dress for Success Cincinnati.