Robert R. Burford

Nationally recognized as one of the best business and commercial litigators in the country, Robert R. Burford brings to his practice extensive legal knowledge, zealous-but-professional advocacy skills, and a talent for seeing the nuances as well as the big picture of each matter. Clients rely on Robert to resolve complex, high-stakes business disputes of nearly every variety. They include litigation involving fiduciary duties, securities fraud, mergers and acquisitions, directors and officers liability, legal malpractice, oil and gas matters, partnership disputes, intellectual property disputes, theft of trade secrets, healthcare-related matters and complex contractual disputes. He represents both plaintiffs and defendants, which gives him a well-rounded strategic perspective. Since 2022, Robert has been recognized by the prestigious Chambers USA as one of the top commercial litigators in the country. One client told Chambers researchers that Robert is a miracle worker and an amazing litigator who is empathetic while being brutal in court.What sets Robert apart from many other lawyers is a confluence of litigation and financial wisdom and talent. Before becoming a lawyer, he worked as a public accountant for two Big Eight accounting firms and then practiced tax law for his first three years after law school. This experience in essentially conducting forensic examinations of books and records enables him to understand the details and metrics of financial statements and what underlies those documents. Simply put, he knows where to look and exactly what hes looking at. A client told the Chambers & Partners that Roberts business knowledge served as a significant advantage in his case. While his finance background distinguishes Robert, he draws on many attributes. He fully recognizes the ways in which commercial cases can be phenomenally complex, often involving millions of documents. Consequently, he applies his capacity to compress the key facts into a compelling case and presents it concisely to the judge or arbitrator. Every lawsuit has its own reality, as he says, and you have to tell your clients story in a limited amount of time. So its got to be tight but also engaging. Robert has earned a reputation for offering a condensed background of the case with key visuals and clear, understandable language-tailored in such a way to suit each judges preferred manner of presentation. The recipient of numerous honors by prominent ranking agencies, Robert was selected for inclusion in Americas Top 100 High Stakes Litigators (2019), a recognition given to less than one-half percent of active attorneys in the United States-the most exclusive and elite level of litigators in the nation. Robert began his career as a commercial litigator in 1989 with Gibbs & Bruns, LLP, one of the nations most highly recognized boutique firms. He became a partner with the firm in 1993, and served as its managing partner or co-managing partner for many years. He left Gibbs & Bruns in 2009 to start his own firm, where he was named to Benchmark Litigations Litigation Stars list for three successive years. In 2015, Robert formed Burford Perry with longtime friend Brent Perry.