Judicate West, one of California’s leading providers of private dispute resolution services, has added Judge Larry A. Burns, formerly with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, to its roster of neutrals. A member of Judicate West’s growing Federal Practice Group, Judge Burns is based in the San Diego office and is available nationwide as a mediator, arbitrator, and private judge.
“Judge Burns is a fantastic settlement and trial judge, and few have the resume he does -- from deep trial experience as an Assistant U.S. Attorney to more than two-and-a-half decades on the bench presiding over hundreds of cases. He is the third Article 3 judge on our roster,” said Mark Kaufman, Executive Vice President of Market Development for Judicate West. “Judge Burns is well liked throughout the San Diego legal community and is one of the most well-respected judicial officers in the state. To say we are excited to have him on the Judicate West team would be an understatement.”
Judge Burns served 27 years on the bench for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, including two years as Chief Judge. He spent his first six years on the court as a magistrate judge, conducting settlement conferences and assisting litigants in resolving hundreds of cases. Judge Burns spent his next 21 years as a district court judge, presiding over more than 300 federal jury trials, including high-profile cases involving elected officials, complex contract and tort disputes, and multi-district and class action litigation. A few highlights include the prosecution of former U.S. Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham for public corruption and bribery; national tobacco litigation against the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company; precedential federal antitrust litigation; and, by special assignment, the 2011 Tucson mass shooting case, in which a gunman gravely wounded U.S. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and murdered six others.
During his judicial career, Judge Burns presided as a visiting trial judge in civil and criminal cases nationwide, including in New York City, Tampa, Jacksonville, Phoenix, Tucson, Boise, Coeur D'Alene, and Salt Lake City. He also served by designation with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, authoring eight reported appellate decisions. Judge Burns is a coauthor of the Ninth Circuit Criminal Handbook – a digest of federal criminal law and procedure in the Ninth Circuit – published by LexisNexis and now in its 14th edition.
Prior to his appointment, Judge Burns tried more than 150 cases to verdict as a litigator and argued 40 cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He began his career as a deputy district attorney with the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, before spending 12 years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California. He was also engaged in the corporate sector, serving as corporate secretary and a member of the board of directors for a publicly traded company. His corporate and business experience includes shareholder securities actions, banking and regulatory enforcement, and employment litigation.
A longtime member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) and fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Judge Burns was previously named "Judge of the Year" by the San Diego Consumer Trial Lawyers in recognition of his effectiveness as a civil settlement judge. He also received the San Diego County Bar Association's "Outstanding Jurist" award and the "Exemplary Service Award" from the San Diego Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, among other professional recognitions. Judge Burns earned his J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law (1979) and his B.A. from Point Loma College (1976).
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Daily Journal - Retired Federal Judge Larry A. Burns Joins Judicate West (Subscription Required)
Law 360- Judicate West Adds Former California Federal Judge (Subscription Required)
