Robert J. Burns is a partner in the Litigation Practice Group of Holland & Knight's New York City office. Mr. Burns has a broad complex business litigation practice, with particular focus on antitrust, product liability, and insurance actions. In recent years, he has represented U.S. and foreign clients across a wide range of industries, including aviation and transportation, insurance and reinsurance, manufacturing and distribution, and finance and investment.
Mr. Burns has experience in all phases of the litigation process, from pre-trial discovery and motion practice through trial and appeal. He has represented clients at trial and in contested evidentiary hearings in both first-chair and co-lead capacities. He is particularly experienced in the management of large multidistrict civil litigations and class actions. He has successfully represented clients in the mediation and arbitration of major disputes, and in the negotiated resolution of multi-million-dollar commercial disputes short of formal litigation. Mr. Burns also regularly counsels clients on various aspects of antitrust and competition law.
Mr. Burns' notable recent experience includes:
acting as trial co-lead counsel for majority owner of large investment holding corporations in two-month corporate valuation trial
securing the unanimous appellate reversal and dismissal on jurisdictional grounds of case pending in Supreme Court of the State of New York against a well-known preparatory school
representing U.S. and international airlines in significant commercial, tort, and class action litigation matters in federal and state courts
securing the pre-answer dismissals of several high-profile federal cases brought against a major U.S. airline
representing a foreign insurer in a federal multidistrict antitrust and civil RICO action
representing a global pharmaceutical manufacturer in a federal multidistrict antitrust litigation and in various "indirect purchaser" antitrust actions in state courts
representing a foreign manufacturer of industrial products in state "indirect purchaser" antitrust actions
representing numerous transportation industry clients – including airlines, aircraft leasing companies, aircraft purchasers, and metropolitan transit authorities – in negotiating the favorable resolution of significant commercial disputes short of litigation
advising clients on antitrust and competition law issues, including formulating antitrust compliance programs and policies; conducting antitrust training sessions for senior executives and front-line sales personnel; formulating and implementing Colgate policies, minimum advertised price policies, and other distributorship policies; and advising clients regarding distributorship, joint venture, predatory pricing, tying, trade association and information sharing, and Robinson-Patman issues in connection with transactions and other business activities
Mr. Burns began his career in the litigation department of Davis Polk & Wardwell, where his litigation work involved antitrust, securities, and general commercial matters. Immediately prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Burns worked as a solo practitioner in Boston, representing individual and business clients in a broad range of civil and criminal litigation matters. During his tenure at Holland & Knight, Mr. Burns was seconded for several months to the in-house legal department of a major London-based insurer, where he counseled claims and underwriting personnel on diverse litigation, transactional, and coverage matters.
During law school, he was elected to the Order of the Coif and received academic awards in the fields of contract law, property law, evidence, legal writing and New York practice.
