J.J. Burns

J.J. Burns has a national reputation as a go-to-expert on truck crash litigation. Through both jury verdicts and negotiated settlements, he helps truck crash victims and their families hold truck drivers, motor carries and freight brokers accountable for their negligence. Additionally, he works continuously to introduce safer practices and more demanding safety rules in numerous states and across the country. He is currently the Editor of the Journal of Trucking Litigation, and has also served on the Amicus Brief and Education Committee of the American Association for Justice’s Trucking Litigation Group after being appointed to TLG’s Executive Board. JJ regularly teaches other attorneys how to try cases against trucking companies, and has presented at seminars, conferences, and litigation colleges in Arizona, California, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming. JJ is also an adjunct professor at UMC Law School and teaches a course on injury litigation every year. JJ is devoted to making our highways safer. He spends substantial time in Washington D.C. advocating for the passage of laws and regulations that will improve safety on public roadways, and help to ensure that fewer families have to suffer losses due to preventable crashes. Awards and Honors Super Lawyers® Selectees J.J. Burns included in a Super Lawyers® list Honors Best Lawyers in America, Ones To Watch , 2021 Super Lawyers – Rising Star , 2017 - 2021 The National Trial Lawyers - Top 40 Under 40 - Civil Plaintiff Lawyers, 2018 - 2019 The Trial Lawyer Association - Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyers, 2018 - 2019 Missouri Lawyers Weekly – Up & Coming, 2018 - Present VerdictSearch - Top 100 Verdicts of 2017, 2017 - Present Other Sources of Feedback About J.J. Burns Included on the 2025Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers list Past Lists 2024 Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers list 2023 Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers list 2022 Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers list 2021 Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers list 2020 Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers list 2019 Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers list 2018 Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers list 2017 Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers list

• EFFECTIVE USE OF RULE 30(b)(6) IN TRUCKING CASES, Trucking Litigation Group Program, AAJ Conference, Los Angeles, CA, July 2016.
• PRACTICALLY USING DISCOVERY TO ADVANCE YOUR CASE, 2016 Solo & Small Firm Conference, Missouri Bar, Osage Beach, Missouri, June 2016.
• DEPOSING TRUCK DRIVERS AND TRUCKING COMPANY REPRESENTATIVES, Strafford Webinars – May & July, 2016.
• HOURS OF SERVICE & LOG AUDITS: PROVING THE FATIGUE AND FALSE LOG CASES, How to Win Trucking Cases – 2015 Advanced Course, Las Vegas, Nevada, November 2015.
• ANATOMY OF A SUCCESSFUL HOURS-OF-SERVICE / FATIGUE CASE, Advanced Trial Advocacy College: Litigating Truck Collision Cases, Dallas, Texas, October 2015.
• TRUCKING COMPANY NEGLIGENCE AND SAFETY CULTURE: GROUNDING THE NARRATIVE AND IDENTIFYING THE STUFF WE OVERLOOK, Ohio Association for Justice Trucking Litigation Seminar, Columbus, Ohio, September 2015.
• ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTION IN TRUCK COLLISION INVESTIGATIONS AND TRIAL: PARTNERING WITH RECONSTRUCTION EXPERTS TO MAXIMIZE CASE VALUE, Strafford Webinars, June 2015.
• TRUCKER AS TEMPORARY TEAMMATE: GETTING BETWEEN THE COMPANY AND ITS DRIVER, AAJ Trucking Litigation Group Members Only Event, Minneapolis, Minnesota, June 2015.
• RECKLESS, WANTON & RELEVANT: KEEPING PUNITIVE DAMAGES IN THE PICTURE, National Interstate Trucking Conference, St. Louis, Missouri, May 2015.
• STATUTORY EMPLOYEES, NEGLIGENT ENTRUSTMENT & PERMISSIVE USE – Prosecuting and Defending Truck and Auto Collision Cases, Houston, Texas, November 2014.
• PROBLEMS WITH THE SO-CALLED “MAJORITY RULE” – AAJ Trucking Litigation Group Members Only Event, AAJ Jazz Fest Seminar, New Orleans, Louisiana, April 2014.
• DIRECT CLAIMS AGAINST A MOTOR CARRIER: The Allgeier Case and Best Arguments to Keep Kentucky on the Correct Side of the McHaffie Rule – Litigating Truck Wreck Cases, Hebron, Kentucky, June 2013.

• Missouri
• Illinois

• The Missouri Bar, Member
• The Illinois Bar, Member
• Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, Member
• KCMBA Bar Leadership Academy
• Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, Member
• American Association for Justice
• AAJ Trucking Litigation Group