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Practice Group Details

Litigation

One of the strengths of Burke is the depth and breadth of expertise among our seasoned trial attorneys and public agency advocates.  We pride ourselves as being the firm of choice for clients facing the truly challenging lawsuit or administrative hearing, although we also efficiently defend or prosecute less intense matters.  Burke partners have proven track records in achieving successes, as well as peer recognition as SuperLawyers®, members of ABOTA, and referrals from fellow lawyers.

Our firm’s areas of litigation expertise include: 

• Business and commercial litigation
• Employment, including discrimination, wrongful termination, and whistle-blower suits
• Real property, including environmental, eminent domain, inverse condemnation, lease disputes, unlawful detainer, real estate, and land use
• Public contract, False Claims Act, election challenges, conflicts of interest under Government Code 1090, and public education litigation
• Law enforcement, Government Claims Act, and other tort defense, including suits against public agencies, individuals, and police, fire,  and correctional officers, First Amendment challenges, excessive force, and other civil rights claims 
• Intellectual property, including trade secret, copyright, and trademark litigation
• Professional liability regarding attorneys, accountants, and other professionals
• Corporate and partnership litigation, including derivative suits, dissolution actions, governance disputes, directors’ and officers’ liability cases, partnership disputes and contested partnership dissolutions; securities, business torts, unfair business practices, consumer class actions, consumer warranty, Proposition 65 compliance, and false advertising  claims 
• Bodily injury and wrongful death defense arising from allegedly defective products, motor vehicles, medical devices, prescription drugs, toxic torts and chemical exposures, vehicular collisions, and other claims
• Insurance coverage and defense, including life, accident & health claims, bad faith claims, property & casualty insurance, sales practices and agent or broker liability
• ERISA pension and welfare benefit plans, including fiduciary liability and benefit claims
• Financial services, including annuities, suitability, deceptive, or fraudulent financial transactions, and FINRA arbitrations

We successfully handle jury trials, court trials, administrative hearings, arbitrations, mediations, and appeals – in federal court, state court, and before a diverse array of public agencies.  Burke’s “team” approach to litigation management allows our clients to benefit from our partners’ collective experience totaling hundreds of jury trials and hundreds of bench trials.  Our firm has assembled a complex litigation team to meet our clients’ increasingly multifaceted matters, and our offices across the State mean access to local experts and knowledge of judicial officers and state and local officials 

Our commitment to being a preeminent trial firm starts with our stringent internal training program. It is fostered by quarterly practice group meetings, internal network access to a brief bank, databases, trial presentation programs, as well as electronic integration of the firm’s offices.

Ultimately, when our clients litigate, they can be confident that a successful and experienced advocate will effectively communicate and persuade the trier of fact.  The Burke ability to advocate and its history of prevailing in adjudicated forums enhance our clients’ options to resolve matters from a position of strength and to forge cost-effective solutions consistent with the client’s objectives.   When the matter dictates that a final decision will be made by a jury, hearing officer, arbitrator, or judge, Burke has the demonstrated ability to achieve the client’s best outcome.