Practice Areas
Business Law
Real Estate & Land Use
Start-Up Companies
Tax Law (property tax disputes)
Education
J.D., Stanford Law School, 1982
B.B.A., Boise State University, magna cum laude, 1975
Licenses/Memberships
Idaho State Bar
State Bar of Texas (inactive)
Idaho State Board of Accountancy (inactive)
Ratings/Recognitions
Martindale Hubbell – AV Preeminent Rating
Best Lawyers in America – Real Estate Lawyers
Mountain States Super Lawyers – Real Estate Lawyers
Professional Profile
Most of Mr. Burns’ efforts are devoted to clients who are involved in acquiring, selling, entitling, developing, leasing, or fighting over commercial or residential real property interests, including challenging property taxes and prosecuting or defending against mechanic’s liens. In addition, however, Mr. Burns has represented a host of business clients in a wide range of general business activities ranging from the formation of business entities to litigating their dissolution - and most everything in between. In recent years approximately one-half of Mr. Burns’ practice has been devoted to transactional and related work and one-half to litigation and related work.
Prior to joining Moffatt Thomas in 1997, Mr. Burns was the president of the Los Angeles/Ventura Division of the Baldwin Company, then one of the ten largest homebuilders in California. As the general manager of one of the three operating divisions of this Southern California real estate development company, Mr. Burns was responsible for the acquisition, planning, entitlement, and development of five master-planned communities comprising approximately 6,500 residential units, together with ancillary commercial uses. Before joining the Baldwin Company in 1988, Mr. Burns also developed several commercial projects in California and Idaho.
Mr. Burns began practicing law in Houston, Texas, with Fulbright & Jaworski, an international law firm. Prior to attending law school, he practiced as a certified public accountant with Arthur Andersen & Co. in its Salt Lake City office.