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Hon. Larry Burns (Ret.)
California
Hon. Larry Burns (Ret.) provided distinguished service as a federal judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California for nearly 25 years, including two years spent as Chief Judge. Known for his extensive litigation experience, he is widely regarded as an outstanding trial lawyer, an effective settlement judge, and a scrupulous and efficient trial judge. As a lawyer, he tried more than 150 cases to jury verdict and argued 40 cases before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He spent the first several years of his judicial career as a civil settlement judge, helping parties settle hundreds of cases. As a trial judge, he presided over more than 300 federal jury trials including high-profile cases involving elected officials, complex business and tort litigation, and multi-district and class action cases. He also supervised receivership actions, including a multi-million-dollar Ponzi scheme case in which investors eventually recouped more than 95 percent of their investments.
Throughout his judicial career, he served 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 sat by designation with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, authoring eight reported appellate decisions. Before taking the bench, he was engaged in the corporate sector, serving as Corporate Secretary and a member of the Board of Directors of a publicly traded company. His corporate and business experience includes shareholder securities actions, banking and regulatory enforcement, and employment litigation.
Judge Burns views mediation as assisted negotiation. “Preparation, patience, and persistence are the keys,” he notes. “By listening, questioning, and understanding the importance of pacing, a mediator focuses attention on the important aspects of a dispute and helps parties achieve a resolution.”
AREAS OF EXPERTISE:
- BUSINESS/CONTRACTS
- CIVIL RIGHTS
- CLASS ACTIONS
- EMPLOYMENT
- INSURANCE
- MEDICAL MALPRACTICE
- PERSONAL INJURY
- REAL ESTATE
- TRADEMARK/COPYRIGHT
PRIOR EXPERIENCE:
- U.S. District Court Judge, Southern District of California (2003-2024); Chief District Judge (2019-2021)
- U.S. Magistrate Judge, Southern District of California (1997-2003)
- Assistant U.S. Attorney, Southern District of California (1985-1997); Deputy U.S. Attorney (1993-1996); Chief of Violent Crimes (1990-1993); Assistant Chief, Criminal Division (1989-1990)
- Instructor, San Diego State University, School of Public Administration (1990-1997)
EDUCATION:
- J.D., University of San Diego
- B.A., Point Loma College
- U.S. Judicial Conference, Committee on Intercircuit Assignments (2017-2022)
- Federal Bar Association, San Diego Chapter, Board of Governors (2012-2021)
- Association of Business Trial Lawyers, San Diego Chapter, Board of Governors (2001-2003; 2018-2021)
- Association of Business Trial Lawyers, San Diego Chapter, Judicial Advisory Board (2021-Present)
- American Board of Trial Advocates (2001-Present)
- American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow (1997-Present)
- Enright Inn of Court, Founding Member and Master
- Louis Welsh Inn of Court
BAR AND COURT ADMISSIONS
- State Bar of California
REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS
- Van Patten v. Vertical Fitness Group, LLC, 847 F.3d 1037
- Hubbard v. Phil’s BBQ of Point Loma, Inc., 609 Fed. Appx. 478, 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 11781
- Securities And Exchange Commission v. Gina Champion-Cain, 19-cv-1628-LAB
- IPC (USA), Inc. v. Ellis (In re Pettit Oil Co.)), 917 F.3d 1130
- Perle v. Fiero (In re Perle), 725 F.3d 1023
- Abel Ramirez, et al, v. Jordan Reddish, et al., case no. 18-cv-00176-LAB
- Bryan v. MacPherson, 630 F.3d 805
- Ortega v. San Diego Police Dep’t., 669 Fed. Appx. 922, 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 19349
- Acosta v. Hill, 504 F.3d 1323
- Blair v. Bethel Sch. Dist., 608 F.3d 540
- Van Patten v. Vertical Fitness Group, LLC, 847 F.3d 1037
- Lucas v. Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Inc., 217 F. Supp. 3d 1200
- Lennox v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., case no. 09-cv-13744-LAB
- In re Musical Instruments & Equip. Antitrust Litig., 798 F.3d 1186
- Merrick v. Hilton Worldwide, Inc., 867 F.3d 1139
- Steffens v. Regus Group, PLC, case no. 08-cv-1494-LAB, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 116536
- Gutierrez v. Colvin, 844 F.3d 804
- Schmidt v. Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Ry., 605 F.3d 686
- Paul Revere Life Insurance Co., case no. 08-cv-1353-LAB, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 61797
- Smith v. Kaiser Foundation Hospitals Inc. et al., case number 08-cv-02353-LAB
- Bear, LLC v. Marine Group Boat Works, LLC, case No. 14-cv-02960-BTM
- Hendrickson v. United States of America et al., case no. 11-cv-1746
- Latanya Jenkins. v. Tristar Products, Inc., case no. 20-cv-1637 (LAB)
- Anderson et al. v. Sunbeam Products Inc. et al., case no. 01-cv-1109- IEG(LAB)
- Save the Park and Build the School v. National Park Service, et al., Case No. 20-cv-01080-LAB, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 131439
- Caputo v. Monge, 737 Fed. Appx. 312, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 15400
- Tollis Inc. v. County of San Diego, 505 F.3d 935
- Gwynn v. Seltzer Caplan, case no. 00-cv-1197-BTM(LAB)