[1] Howie was born in Cape Town and attended Diocesan College, where he matriculated in 1956.
He received his tertiary education at Stellenbosch University, graduating with a BA degree in 1959 and an LL.B.
Howie worked as a public prosecutor in Cape Town during 1962 and early 1963 and thereafter as state advocate in Grahamstown, until 1964.
[2] Howie started practicing as an advocate at the Eastern Cape Bar in Grahamstown during 1964 and was granted senior counsel status in 1976.
[2] In 2003, Howie was appointed President of the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa, a position he held until his retirement in 2008.