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At Burns Law Office our practice is limited to family law matters such as divorce/separation, child custody, child support, father's rights, alimony/spousal maintenance, prenuptials and related matters. John is one of the most respected and experienced attorneys in divorce appellate law throughout the state of Minnesota. He has successfully argued more than 60 cases to the MN Court of Appeals and the MN Supreme Court as well as countless motions, trials and contested matters in district court.
John handles complex and high-conflict divorces, high-asset cases, hidden accounts and property investigation matters, protection of business assets, and contested child custody as well as many straightforward and amicable divorce resolutions. He practices primarily in Dakota, Scott, Hennepin, Ramsey, Washington and Carver counties but takes cases throughout the state.
John grew up in Bloomington, Minnesota and graduated from Jefferson High School in 1985. He attended Mankato State University on a football scholarship and graduated in 1989. After that, John attended Law School at Indiana Universtiy where he graduated with honors in 1992.
John returned to Minnesota and began his practice in Rosemount, Minnesota. He moved his office to Burnsville in 1994 and has remained in the same location for over twenty years.
In his free time, John likes traveling and perfecting his chilli recipe. He coaches youth sports and cheers for the Vikings and Timberwolves. He has completed over 15 marathons including the Boston Marathon and dozens of triathlons capped off with the Hawaii Ironman.
5
Practice Areas
34 years | 3,000 cases
Free Consultation
$0 first 30 minutes
State: Minnesota
Acquired: 1992
No misconduct found
Fax
14300 Nicollet Court, Suite 200, Burnsville, MN, 55306-8329
jburnslaw.com
Other places you can find John online.
28 Client Reviews
Showing 1 - 5 of 6 reviews | 1 star
Posted by Sam | November 18, 2024 | Hired Attorney | Divorce & Separation
HORRIBLE - AVOID AT ALL COSTS
Horrible ill-informed attorney and a confidence man. Does weekly zoom meetings without a reason except to bill. Does not even know the basics of divorce law - forced OC to file a motion because he did not know how discovery works. He almost completely messed up my case - luckily he got fired befo...
Vibhu: Your misleading review comes as no surprise. You threatened to defame me when I fired you as a client. Hopefully, your now 3rd or 4th attorney will have more patience with your unreasonable behavior and lack of integrity. Best of luck. John Burns
Posted by Cheyanne | April 22, 2024 | Hired Attorney | Divorce & Separation
Disorganized and inattentive
I hired John last year for a post decree modification. He quoted me roughly 5-7 thousand dollars. My total bill at the end of my court case was 11,000. I understand that things can happen/ change . I’m not as upset about the money as I am with the service he and his staff provided. From start to fini...
Posted by Kimberly | September 30, 2022 | Hired Attorney | Child Custody
Egocentric, Two Faced and Cold Hearted
John Burns cares nothing about you, your family or Veterans. John Burns is kicking me to the curb as a client of more than a year, within weeks of my court date because I can’t afford to give him another $5000. I’m a resident of Florida and just went through Hurricane Ian. John could care less. He ha...
Posted by Benard | August 08, 2022 | Hired Attorney
Expensive and unreliable.
Milked me for all my money while he sat in his home in Texas. Kept telling me things that sounded good but no action, he left all the work on to his assistant Ben, who didn't complete anything and has an awful attitude. Waste of time and money, my life is worse now because of my the decision to reta...
Mr. Lockhart: Your review is inaccurate. You missed the part about not providing me with all of the documents and updates I said I needed to effectively represent you. And, the fact that your lack of follow-through left me with no choice but to withdraw as your counsel (even though you wanted me to continue to represent you). The Court Orders tell the rest of the story. Frankly, I would not want to represent another client like you who does not take an active role in their own case.
Posted by anonymous | May 11, 2018 | Hired Attorney | Lawsuits & Disputes
DO NOT WORK WITH THIS GUY!!
After more than five years and over 18,000$ later, I finally wized up! He will swoon you with his ONE framed Award on the wall, a nice suit and a smirking smile- but please listen to me. He won't care about You,ONLY YOUR MONEY! The man is heartless and incompetent. Takes days to return your calls. D...
"I wholeheartedly endorse this attorney. John is one of the best family lawyers in Minnesota. I met him many years ago as an adversary and his tenacious representation of his client immediately earned my respect. Since then I have referred countless clients to him and consistently receive positive feedback about his representation. If you need a family lawyer, I strongly encourage you to contact John Burns."
"John is a well respected divorce attorney who has done a very good job zealously advocating for the clients I have referred to him. I endorse John and will continue to encourage friends and referral sources to send family law matters in the south metro to him as well."
Divorce and separation lawyer
Criminal defense lawyer
2020
Distinguished, Martindale-Hubbell
2015
BV Rated, Martindale-Hubbell
2014
BV Rated, Martindale-Hubbell
2014
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers
2014
Clients Choice, AVVO
2006
Dakota County Hero's Award, Legal Aid of Dakota County
2004
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers
2003
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers
2003
Who's Who in American Law, Law & Politics Magazine
1996 - 1998
Partner, Sheridan & Burns
1994 - 1996
Partner, Knutson, Stier, Earley, Knutson, Sheridan & Burns
1994 - 2024
Owner, Burns Law Office
1992 - 1994
Lawyer, McMenomy, Hanson & McCann
1990 - 1992
law clerk, Indiana Supreme Court
2004 - Present
Dakota County Bar AssociationBoard of Directors
1993 - Present
First Judicial District Ethics CommitteeMember
1992 - Present
First Judicial District Bar AssociationMember
1992 - Present
Minnesota State Bar AssociationMember
1992 - Present
American Bar AssociationMember
2004 - 2006
Dakota County Bar AssociationPresident
2000 - 2002
First Judicial District Bar AssociationPresident
Court of Appeals reversed award of custody to wife.
Court of Appeals reversed extension of Parenting Consultant's term.
Court of Appeals reversed awards of spousal maintenence, child support and attorney's fees and remanded the case back to the District Court for further proceedings.
1992
JD - Juris Doctor
1989
BA - Bachelor of Arts
2014
Practitioners Guide to Navigating Early Neutral Process
2007
Trends in Family Law
2006
Trends in Minnesota Family Law
2013
2013
2012
English
Legal Answers
Do I have a right to be present at child therapy session should I have my child see a therapist? post-divorce environment.
28 Jan 2015
In a divorce, can my wife take half of my solely owned LLC?
27 Jan 2015
Divorce decree
13 Nov 2014