Former U.S. District Court Judge Larry A. Burns Joins Judicate West as Neutral in San Diego
May 06 2024 - 2:37PM
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).
About Judicate WestCelebrating 30 years,
Judicate West is one of California’s leading providers of private
dispute resolution services with a distinguished roster of proven
neutrals, including retired state and federal court judges plus
professional attorney mediators and arbitrators from a wide variety
of practice areas. Founded in 1993, the firm prides itself on
maintaining the utmost integrity in delivering innovative solutions
to all types of civil disputes. The firm’s successful formula
involves top-tier neutrals, a great company culture and an
experienced team of ADR professionals dedicated to delivering gold
standard service in alternative dispute resolution (ADR).
Contact:Melody KleimanJudicate West(714)
852-5189melody@judicatewest.com