Jane Howard-Martin | ACC Docket

Jane Howard-Martin

Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at Toyota Motor North America, Inc.

Jane Howard-Martin is vice president and assistant general counsel for Toyota Motor North America, Inc. (TMNA) and manages the Labor, Employment, Immigration, Benefits and Trade Secrets practice. Howard-Martin leads the labor and employment practice group that is responsible for providing legal advice and counsel and managing litigation and labor matters for a workforce of 33,993 based in our North America affiliates, including the nine North American Manufacturing Centers (NAMCs), R&D, Finance, and Headquarters functions.

Prior to joining Toyota in 2003, Howard-Martin was a partner with Morgan, Lewis and Bockius, LLP in their Los Angeles and Pittsburgh offices, and previously was a partner at Kirkpatrick & Lockhart in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Howard-Martin has been featured in a number of publications and symposiums. She authored a column on employment issues for USAToday.com, a treatise on Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act and served on the Editorial Review Board of the Pennsylvania Labor Letter. Howard-Martin also appeared as a panelist on MSNBC’s “Today in America” on the issue of harassment. She is a frequent speaker on employment law topics at various conferences including those held by the ABA, the National Employment Law Council, and the American Employment Law Council. In November 2020, Howard-Martin received the ABA Honorable Bernice B. Donald Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession Award. She is the past President (2009) and currently serves on the board of directors of the California Employment Law Council and is also a board member of the American Employment Law Council. She is also a fellow with the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.

Howard-Martin earned a BA from Harvard University in 1979 and received her juris doctorate degree from Harvard Law School in 1982.

She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Gus Martin, who is on the facility at California State University, Dominguez Hills. In her free time, she enjoys ballroom and hip-hop dancing, trying international recipes, writing historical fiction, and travel.

My Articles

Diversity and Inclusion

DEI, ESQ: Diversity as a Multiplier on Legal Teams

By setting the company apart from others, while also making it stronger, diversity can be both a differentiator and a multiplier, share the team of DEI, ESQ columnists. #ACCDocket #inhouse #DEI

illustration of global workforce

Diversity and Inclusion

Law Department Management

DEI, ESQ: 4 Ways to Inclusively Lead a Global and Remote Workforce

In this article, the DEI ESQ columnists offer several useful tips to ensure inclusiveness for remote and global employees. #ACCDocket #remotework

Diversity and Inclusion

DEI, ESQ: What Gets Measured Gets Done

DEI, Esq. columnists, Jane Howard-Martin, Olesja Cormney, Connie Almond, Jennifer N. Jones, and Meyling Ly Ortiz share useful advice to guide in-house legal departments on ways to advance diversity and inclusion within law firms.

Diversity and Inclusion

Technology, Privacy, and eCommerce

DEI, ESQ: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

DEI, Esq. columnists Olesja Cormney, Jane Howard-Martin, Connie Almond, Jennifer N. Jones, and Meyling Ly Ortiz explore the benefits of using AI for DEI in the workplace and provide useful tips in-house counsel can use to ensure compliance with relevant laws. #ACCDocket #inhouse #DEI

Diversity and Inclusion

Law Department Management

Skills and Professional Development

DEI, ESQ: Cultivating Inclusive Leaders

DEI, Esq. columnists describe steps organizations can take to create effective and successful inclusive leaders. #ACCDocket #inhouse #DEI

pumped-up arms in different skin colors

Diversity and Inclusion

Steering Diversity with Stealth

In workplaces where DEI is not taken seriously, consider these under-the-radar strategies to move the needle.
#ACCDocket #DiversityEquityInclusion #DEI

lillustration of people, different color skin, some gray hair, some with wheelchair, walker, cane, pregnant

Diversity and Inclusion

DEI, ESQ.: Age Is Not Just a Number — Embrace Generational Diversity

Let’s be frank – out of all aspects of diversity and inclusion preoccupying our minds, generational or age diversity is likely last on the priority list. That is, if it is even on the list. Learn why that’s a mistake and how to counter it to the benefit of your staff and business. #ACCDocket, #DEI

Black woman, appears to be, at desk with array of people on screen, far off but appears to be different skin colors

Diversity and Inclusion

Employment and Labor

DEI, ESQ: Level Up Your DEI Efforts in a Remote/Hybrid Work Environment

Company diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts must evolve to meet the needs of remote and hybrid workforces. @DEI ESQ has tips for how to take your #DEI strategy to the next level. #remotework #hybridwork #ACCDocket

Diversity and Inclusion

DEI, ESQ: Expanding the Call for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

In their latest DEI, Esq. column, Toyota’s Jane Howard-Martin, Connie Almond, Olesja Cormney, Jennifer Jones, and Meyling Ly Ortiz call for in-house counsel to include suppliers and vendors in their #DEI efforts. #ACCDocket

Forgotten Piece of DEI

Diversity and Inclusion

The Forgotten Piece of DEI: Cultural Intelligence

Organizations should consider cultural intelligence (CQ) as part of their #DEI strategy. DEI, Esq. columnists Jane Howard-Martin, Connie Almond, Olesja Cormney, Jennifer N. Jones, and Meyling Ly Ortiz and the Cultural Intelligence Center break down the essentials of CQ and how you can implement it in your workplace. #ACCDocket

Employees hiding their true selves in the workplace

Diversity and Inclusion

Does Your Workplace Encourage Conformity or Authenticity?

61 percent of people reported covering an aspect of their identity in the workplace in a recent Deloitte survey.

Stressed woman on video call

Diversity and Inclusion

Dear DEI, Esq: How Do I Deal with Zoom Fatigue?

DEI Esq. gives advice for dealing with the vulnerabilities that come with being on camera.

Businesspeople preparing to race

Diversity and Inclusion

Dear DEI, Esq: I’m Competing with My Coworker

DEI Esq. gives advice for dealing with competitiveness in the workplace.

Tense work meeting

Diversity and Inclusion

Dear DEI, Esq: My Bosses Have Antiquated Gender Views

DEI, Esq. gives advice for navigating the tightrope of gender stereotypes in the office.

Two children hugging their father

Diversity and Inclusion

Dear DEI, Esq: My Work Thinks My Familial Responsibilities Are Holding Me Back

DEI, Esq. gives advice to a single father who is being passed over at work.

Doll figurine alone on a shelf

Diversity and Inclusion

Dear DEI, Esq: My Manager is Singling Me Out

DEI, Esq. gives advice to an employee who feels singled out by her manager because of her gender.

Illustration of thoughts entering a head

Diversity and Inclusion

Employment and Labor

Are You Biased?

We’re all biased. And before we can change, we need to understand common bias types and patterns encountered in the workplace.

Flat cartoon of diverse group of people wearing turquoise, orange, and white shirts.

Diversity and Inclusion

Employment and Labor

An Employment Lawyer’s Guide to Leaning In on DEI

Employment lawyers have been complicit by being too cautious. Follow these steps to help your company move forward.

Group of multiracial business people shaking hands in a board room.

Diversity and Inclusion

Employment and Labor

Redefine “Qualified” Candidates to Supercharge Your Team

Assemble a diverse team with these three upgrades to your recruitment process.

Two women climbing up ladders

Diversity and Inclusion

Small Matters: A Different Approach to DEI

When it comes to making progress in diversity, equity, and inclusion, start with small tangible actions.