James M. Burns

James M. Burns

4.5
Rating: 7.4

Licensed for 26 years

Criminal defense Lawyer at Pensacola, FL
Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, Family, Divorce & Separation ... +11 more

4502 Twin Oaks Drive, Pensacola, FL

About James

Biography

Practice Areas

14

Practice Areas

Criminal Defense 20%

Licensed in Alabama and Florida, County , State and Federal Court . Handled

26 years | 1,000 cases

20%
Family 20%

Contested and Uncontested divorces, Alimony matters, military divorce , child custody, large assets case , adoption child support, custody modification and contempt proceedings

26 years | 600 cases

20%
DUI and DWI 10%

26 years

10%
Military Law 10%

26 years

10%
Probate 10%

Wills, summary administration, Formal , Living wills , power of attorney guardianship, will contest

26 years | 200 cases

10%
Child Custody 1%

26 years

1%
Child Support 1%

26 years

1%
Federal Crime 1%

26 years

1%
Violent Crime 1%

26 years

1%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 5 minutes


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Licenses

Licensed in Alabama for 24 years

State: Alabama

Acquired: 2002

Occupational License - Authorized to Practice

No misconduct found

Licensed in Florida for 26 years

State: Florida

Acquired: 2000

Member in Good Standing

No misconduct found

Location

Law Offices of James M. Burns

4502 Twin Oaks Drive, Pensacola, FL, 32506

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James M. Burns's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.5 /5.0

41 Client Reviews

Showing 1 - 5 of 8 reviews | Character & Conduct

Posted by Lynn | January 06, 2026 | Hired Attorney | Divorce & Separation

AMAZING FAMILY LAWYER

Mr. Burns was passionate and thorough with every step of my divorce and custody. he took the time to hear my every concern and acted made sure I was heard in court. I would recommend him to everyone going through a high conflict divorce

Posted by anonymous | April 14, 2024

Consultation

don't have enough words to describe how amazing the experience with Mr. Richter was. Mr. Burns is a brilliant lawyer! I can see that, he works very hard to make sure you have winning results. You could not ask for better services. From the moment I answered my phone, until the time that I hung up fr...om him, I was at ease that I had made the right decision.

Posted by Braijha | December 19, 2022 | Hired Attorney | Family

He does not care about his clients. His staff are extremely rude. Doesn't file anything. Refuses to refund you if nonrefundable

I wouldn’t recommend. He and Debbie (his assistant who you would think is the lawyer) are friendly and nice for consultations but once you pay them they avoid you, they’re very rude, and they don’t prepare for your case. Do not sign the contract if it says non refundable because they will refuse to g...ive you your money back. He represented me for my final hearing of my family law case and refused to properly prep me and my witnesses for trial. Debbie constantly scheduled me for meetings with Mr. Burns but when I would show up she would tell me I wasn’t on the schedule or that Mr. Burns wasn’t in and ask me to come back later. I’ve been his client since April 2022 and he new nothing about my case on 12/08/2022. He was referring to my daughter as a little boy during our trial. I gave him a copious amount of evidence in a binder that he refused to admit in court because as he stated, “I don’t want to admit evidence one by one”. I even made 3 copies because they were constantly missing deadlines. The day Debbie told me to drop the binder off she wasn’t in office, they turned everything in the day before my hearing. Mr. Burns rushed through the hearing because he was ready for lunch. When the judge told him to take time to talk to his client during the trial he would leave the office and go to Debbie and ignore me as his client. He never acknowledged me as a client always addressed Debbie and she lies a whole lot, you would think she really is the lawyer. They didn’t file any motions to help prepare for my hearing or go over the evidence I provided. They Submitted documents passed the deadline. Every time it was time for my hearing someone was sick and he was requesting a continuance yet he was on vacation all summer. I witnessed two other clients walk in complaining about the same things I am complaining about now on this post. I also have another one of his clients information in my trial binder because he was working on their case as if it was mine and isn’t. I will be filing a formal complaint with the Florida Bar. Find another lawyer if you are fighting for your child, this one will not have you or your child’s best interest

Posted by Judith | November 18, 2020 | Hired Attorney | Landlord & Tenant

Amazing attorney !!

We retained James Burns for (what we thought was going to be) a simple ejectment case involving a family member. The person we were attempting to remove from the property caused so much chaos it became quite entangled with craziness, false charges, etc… Mr. Burns was very patient and compassionate,... stayed focused during a longer than expected and complicated case, always kept us updated throughout the entire process and personally returned all messages and calls in a timely manner – I knew we were in good hands !! His staff was fantastic as well, Jon Searcy was always available to answer any questions we had and helped us understand the process. Jon also put in so much time and effort, he is very knowledgeable with cases like ours – they make an incredibly formidable team !! Mr. Burns is a great attorney who is very knowledgeable of the law, detail oriented and his professionalism is unparalleled. James Burns was completely successful with the complicated ejectment case and successfully had the false charges dismissed. I hope to never need an attorney again but, in the event I do, James Burns will be the attorney I hire. I cannot thank James Burns and his staff enough !!

Posted by Wesley | July 25, 2018 | Hired Attorney | Criminal Defense

Excellent Lawyer

I was charged on a simple battery charge in florida not knowing any lawyer i choose to get a consultation from james and was not dissapointed .If you are seeking a very knowledgeable lawyer and a cool down to earth guy look no further James Burns will go the extra mile for your case and after the fa...ct if anything else arises in your case

See All Client Reviews

James M. Burns's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse James
JerriLynn Hadley headshot
JerriLynn Hadley

Criminal defense lawyer | Apr 28

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. He is a hard working knowledgeable attorney. He goes the extra mile for his clients and gets results!"

Jordan McCay Copeland headshot
Jordan Copeland

Criminal defense lawyer | Feb 26

Relationship: Other

"If you are facing criminal charges in the Pensacola area, you should contact Mr. Burns office for a consultation. He is a fighter with the experience you need representing you."

Bradley Gaylon Fisher headshot
Bradley Fisher

Criminal defense lawyer | Oct 29

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I've spoken with Mr. Burns on several occasions to discuss and review criminal matters for my family law clients. Mr. Burns is experienced, forthright & helpful. He's without ego, is genuine and has never been anything other than professional in my interactions with him. I've had cases against him in family law matters, and while he vigorously argues his client's case, and is an outstanding opponent, he acts with professionalism and courtesy. I recommend him."

Daniel Guinn Shay headshot
Daniel Shay

Speeding and traffic ticket lawyer | Apr 29

Relationship: Other

"I contacted Mr. Burns to assist my mother in Pensacola for a traffic matter and he was very helpful and knowledgeable; especially concerning the local judges, customs and rules. I endorse this lawyer."

View All Endorsements

No Endorsement Data Available Yet
This attorney hasn't created any attorney endorsements recently on Avvo.

Experience

Rating:  7.4 (Very Good)

Honors

2026

Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell

Work Experience

1999 - Present

Owner, Burns Law Firm

Education

1999

St. Thomas University School of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

1995

University of West Florida

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Languages

English

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Avvo Rating Levels
10.0 - 9.0 Superb8.9 - 8.0 Excellent7.9 - 7.0 Very Good6.9 - 6.0 Good5.9 - 5.0 Average4.9 - 4.0 Concern3.9 - 3.0 Caution2.9 - 2.0 Strong Caution1.9 - 1.0 Extreme Caution