Attorney Profiles

WILLIAM F. BURNS
Co-Founder of Watson Burns, PLLC
bburns@watsonburns.com

Licensure
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, January 1, 1971. Admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in Tennessee, 1996; Admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in Arkansas, 2008; United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, 1996; United States District Court for the Western and Middle Districts of Tennessee and Eastern District of Arkansas, 1996, United States District Court of the Northern District of Mississippi; 1999. 

Education
Educated at Christian Brothers University, B.S. Economics and Finance, cum laude, 1993; University of Memphis School of Law; J.D., 1996; Graduate of the Defense Counsel Trial Academy, Boulder, Colorado, 1999; Notes Editor, University of Memphis Law Review; 1995-96. 

Member of Local, State, and National Associations:  Memphis Bar Association, Tennessee Bar Association, Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association, American Association of Justice;

Experience
William F. Burns, co-founder of Watson Burns, PLLC, concentrates his practice in the areas of tort and commercial civil litigation.  During his legal career, Mr. Burns has represented clients in matters including: product liability claims, insurance defense claims, wrongful death claims, premises liability claims, personal injury claims, wrongful or retaliatory termination claims, catastrophic  injury claims, workers’ compensation claims, dental malpractice claims, legal malpractice claims, nursing home malpractice claims, consumer and financial fraud claims, and  complex class action litigation.  In a majority of these areas, Mr. Burns has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in these types of claims.  Many of his current cases are in federal court and in numerous circuit courts across the State of Tennessee and Arkansas. 

Immediately after graduation from law school, Mr. Burns clerked for the Honorable Paul G. Summers of the Tennessee Court of Appeals.  After completion of his judicial clerkship, he entered into the private practice of law as an associate attorney at Waring Cox, PLLC.  At the time, Waring Cox was the oldest existing law firm in Tennessee and could trace its roots back to the pre-Civil War practice of law and was regarded as one of the most prestigious law firms in Tennessee.  As an associate attorney, Mr. Burns handled a wide variety of civil and criminal litigation matters.  In 2001, Waring Cox merged with another prominent Memphis law firm and Mr. Burns was recruited to join the smaller litigation boutique law firm of Glassman, Edwards, Wade & Wyatt, P.C. where he continued to focus his practice on the prosecution and defense of various types of civil litigation matters. 

Mr. Burns has successfully represented plaintiffs in very serious personal injury and wrongful  death claims and has obtained several significant victories on behalf of thousands of consumers in class action litigation.  In 2005, as a result of joining forces and serving as co-lead counsel together in several high profile class action cases, he and Mr. Watson formed the current firm of Watson Burns, PLLC.  Today, the firm dedicates its energies to protecting the rights of individuals that have been injured, damaged and/or defrauded by the wrongful actions of others.    

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