John is an experienced litigator, specializing in high conflict or complex cases. He primarily takes cases in Dakota and Scott Counties. John represents clients in dissolution of marriage, paternity, custody, maintenance and child support proceedings. He has significant experience in the Court of Appeals. John is a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association and the First District Bar Association, where he is past President and currently serves on the District Ethics Committee. He is also a member of the Dakota County Bar Association, where he serves on the Board of Directors and is the past President. Numerous recognitions have been awarded to John such as the Dakota County Heroes Award, Super Lawyer, the BV-distinguished rating, and Who’s Who in Family Law. He graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato with majors in History and Political Science while also playing on the football team. John received his law degree from the Indiana University School of Law where he graduated cum laude. While there he competed in moot court competitions, receiving the highest score at the national level. He served as a law clerk at the Indiana Supreme Court before returning to Minnesota to join a group practice in 1992. Since then, he has established himself with the bench and bar in Dakota and Scott Counties after opening his private practice in 1994. He has written several articles and teaches continuing education courses to attorneys on a variety of family law topics. John has completed the Hawaii Ironman and the Boston Marathon. He enjoys coaching youth sports, particularly football and basketball.

Paul E. Burns is a nationally-recognized attorney, arbitrator and mediator who has over 25 years of legal experience, 17+ years of which were in AMLAW 200 firms. His legal experience includes Litigation, Transactions and Counseling in Intellectual Property, Technology, Life Sciences, Healthcare, Entertainment/Digital Media, Internet/E-Commerce/Data Privacy, Commercial Contracts, Business Entities, Creditor’s Rights/Bankruptcy, Electronic Discovery, and Arbitration Law. He has been honored with inclusion in Best Lawyers in America for 17 years in a row, being named Lawyer of the Year in 2022 and 2023, an AV Pre-eminent rating for over 20 years, and appointments as (i) Fellow of the College of Commercial Arbitrators and the American Bar Association; (ii) Arbitrator/Mediator by the American Arbitration Association, CPR, the International Trademark Association (INTA), the Silicon Valley Tech List, and AIPLA; (iii) AIPLA Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee Chair, (iv) Federal Bar Association Chapter President and Board Member, (v) Copyright Society of the USA Chapter Chair, (vi) Licensing Executives Society Chapter Chair, (vii) Director of The Sedona Conference, and (viii) Adjunct Professor of Law at two top ranked law schools. Mr. Burns is admitted to practice in California, Arizona, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He received his B.S. and J.D., magna cum laude, from Boston College.

Area of Practice: Civil Rights John L. Burris is an Oakland civil rights attorney specializing in police misconduct. He has represented over a thousand victims of such misconduct over the last 40 plus years including many death cases. His work has resulted in reforms or new policies in the area of canine use, the use of deadly force, the use of hog tying and pepper spray, proper police treatment of the mentally impaired, public strip searching and tasers. In 2003, as co-counsel with Jim Chanin, Attorney Burris settled a class action suit against the Oakland Police Department. During the case, referred to as the “Riders” they represented 119 plaintiffs. Aside from the 11 million settlement, part of the case settlement resulted in a court ordered monitor to facilitate specific reforms concerning racial profiling, use of deadly force, and disparate officer discipline within the Department.

In his 35 years of practice, David C. Burtker has handled all forms of medical civil litigation, with special emphasis on the trial practice of medical and health professional negligence, pharmaceutical manufacturer liability and medical products liability matters. He opened the Chicago office of Cunningham, Meyer & Vedrine, along with Mike Slovis, in 2002.