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Jeffrey Alan Burns
also known as Jeffrey A. Burns
About Jeffrey
Biography
Jeff Burns succeeds at truck crash litigation because he knows the industry inside and out. A leading expert on federal motor carrier regulations, Burns makes it a point to stay at the forefront of developments in the trucking industry. Since joining Dollar, Burns, Becker & Hershewe in 2005, he has worked to inspire a cultural shift in how trucking companies regulate driver fatigue. Burns serves as a member of multiple federal committees on transportation safety and also works with grassroots organizations such as Parents Against Tired Truckers.
Jeff became involved in truck safety “literally, by accident.” “Many years ago,” Burns recalls, “in my first truck crash case I represented a client who had lost his wife and two daughters, ages 6 and 9, in a crash caused by a fatigued truck driver. I had a daughter about the age of the younger girl at the time,” he notes, “and the more I learned about the trucking industry by working on that case, the more I was afraid of putting my family on the highway. I was shocked to learn that 1 in every 5 truck drivers admits to have fallen asleep at the wheel in the last 30 days.”
“That first case was a life-changing event for me,” states Burns. “Standing in the weeds next to the highway at the scene of the crash, I promised the girls’ father their deaths would not be in vain; that I would make sure that their loss would make a difference.” He spent much of the next twenty years in Washington, D.C. working on the issues, trying to improve safety rules, and advocating for more enforcement and more public awareness of the problem in fulfillment of that promise. “No one had heard of truck driver fatigue back then and the issue still doesn’t have the public awareness it needs,” he notes.
Practice Areas
4
Practice Areas
Litigation
25%
Personal Injury
25%
Transportation
25%
Trucking Accident
25%
35 years
Fees and Rates
Awards
Licenses
Licensed in Missouri for 42 years
State: Missouri
Acquired: 1983
No misconduct found
Location
Dollar, Burns, Becker & Hershewe
(816) 221-8763
Fax
Ste. 2600, 1100 Main Street, Kansas City, MO, 64105
dollar-law.comOnline Presence
Other places you can find Jeffrey online.
Jeffrey Alan Burns's Reviews
Showing 1 - 1 of 1 client review from Avvo
Posted by BILLIE B. KNOWLES | January 10, 2016 | Hired Attorney
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
OUT-STANDING TRUCK ACCIDENT ATTORNEY!
Though I live in NC, I was most fortunate to have JEFF BURNS of DOLLAR,BURNS & BECKER recommended to me by a NC Truck Safety Advocate who had worked with him for years in Washington, DC on Federal Truck Safety issues. Thankfully, Jeff found the time to take on my case, which involved me being struck ...
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Experience
Honors
2025
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers
2024
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers
2023
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers
2022
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers
2022
Best Lawyer, Best Lawyers in America
2021
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers
2021
Top 100 in Missouri/Kansas & Top 10 in Kansas City, Super Lawyers
2021
Best Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America
2020
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers
2020
Top 100 in Missouri/Kansas & Top 10 in Kansas City, Super Lawyers
2020
Power 30, Missouri Lawyers Weekly
2020
Best Lawyer, Best Lawyers in America
2019
Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America, National Trial Lawyers Association
2019
Top 100 in Missouri/Kansas & Top 10 in Kansas City, Super Lawyers
2019
Best Lawyer, Best Lawyers in America
2019
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers
2018
Best Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America
2018
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers
2018
Top 100 in Missouri/Kansas & Top 10 in Kansas City, Super Lawyers
2017
Best Lawyer, Best Lawyers in America
2017
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers
2017
Top 100 in Missouri/Kansas & Top 10 in Kansas City, Super Lawyers
2016
Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America, American Trial Lawyers Association
2016
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers
2015
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers Magazine
2015
Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America, American Trial Lawyers Association
2014
Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America, American Trial Lawyers Association
2014
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers Magazine
2013
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers Magazine
2013
Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America, American Trial Lawyers Association
2012
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers Magazine
2012
Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America, American Trial Lawyers Association
2011
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers Magazine
2011
Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America, American Trial Lawyers Association
2010
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers Magazine
2010
Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America, American Trial Lawyers Association
2009
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers Magazine
2009
Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America, American Trial Lawyers Association
2008
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers Magazine
2008
Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America, American Trial Lawyers Association
2007
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers Magazine
2006
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers Magazine
2005
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers
2005
Distinguished Service Award, Truck Safety Coalition
2005
Super Laywer, Super Lawyers Magazine
2005
Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers in America
1998
Lifesaver Award, Parents Against Tired Truckers
1996
Unsung Hero Award, Missouri Lawyers Weekly
N/A
AV Preeminent Rated, Martindale-Hubbell
Work Experience
2005 - Present
Partner, Dollar Burns, Becker & Hershewe
1900 - Present
Partner, Dollar, Burns, Becker & Hershewe, LC
1985 - 2005
Partner, Shook Hardy & Bacon, LLP
Associations
2019 - Present
The National Board of Trial AdvocatesBoard Certification in Truck Accident Law
2019 - Present
American Bar AssociationVice Chair of Commercial Transportation and Litigation General
2011 - Present
Transportation Research BoardMember
2009 - Present
Truck Litigation Group, American Association for JusticeChair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Secretary
2004 - Present
American Association for JusticeMember
2000 - Present
National Registry of Who’s WhoMember
1998 - Present
Parents Against Tired Truckers (P.A.T.T.)Board Member
1994 - Present
Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH)Board Member
1983 - Present
Missouri BarMember
1983 - Present
Kansas City Metropolitan Bar AssociationMember
1983 - Present
American Bar AssociationMember
2014 - 2016
National Freight Advisory CommitteeMember
2003 - 2011
Transporation Research BoardFriend of the Board
2000 - 2009
Brain Injury Association of Kansas and Greater Kansas CityDirector
1998 - 2002
Alliance for Safe Highways, Missouri/KansasMember
1995 - 2002
Center for Truck Safety (C.T.S.)Director
Sample of Legal Cases
Slattery vs Estes Express Lines
Settled for $40.8 million
Education
1983
University of Missouri-Columbia
JD
1983
University of Missouri School of Law
JD - Juris Doctor
1979
Universidad Complutense De Madrid
1978
Truman State University
BS - Bachelor of Science
1978
Truman State University
BSE
N/A
University of Leicester Facility of Law
Speaking Engagements
2015
First Trial Advocacy College Litigating Truck Collison
Truck Collisions Workshop Leader
2014
MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Inadequate Minimum Liability Insurance Requirements for Motor Carriers Presents a Clear and Present Danger on Our Highways
2014
Annual Convention
MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
2013
Sorrow to Strength Conference
Truck Safety in a Changing World
2013
Old West, New Legal Frontiers
Perspectives from the Plaintiff's Lawyer's Playbook
2013
MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The Crash BASIC Issue
2013
How to Win Trucking Cases
Hours of Service and Fatigue
2013
2013 Arkansas Trucking Seminar
A Plaintiff’s View of the Case Against You
2013
2013 Annual Convention
“Direct” Claims Against the Motor Carrier and Dealing with the Admission of Agency
2012
Annual Convention
Essentials for Prving Spoliation in Trucking Cases
2012
Advocating for Highway Safety: Truck Accident Litigation
Maximizing the Impact in a Truck Accident Case
2011
Trucking Litigation Exposed
Understanding Fatigue Cases - Beyond Hours of Service
2011
Trucking Litigation Exposed
Presenting Driver Training/Safe Driving Experts
2011
Trucking Litigation Exposed
Bad Weather Collision Cases
2011
Trial Advocacy College
Using Investigation, Regulations and Discovery to Disprove Defenses
2011
Trial Advocacy College
Regulatory and Statutory Update: CSA, EOBRs, HOS, Insurance, Size & Weight
2011
National Interstate Trucking Super Summit
Driver Fatigue: the Company's Responsibility
2011
First Trial Advocacy College Litigating Truck Collison
Litigating Truck Collision Cases Workshop Leader
2010
CSA2010
CSA 2010: Not Your Father’s Safe-Stat
2010
CSA 2010
CSA 2010: Comprehensive Safety Analysis – An Eye Opener
2009
Trial Advocacy College
Selection, Preparation & Direct Examination of the Accident Reconstruction Expert
2009
Trial Advocacy College
Developing the Rules in a Trucking Case
2009
First Trial Advocacy College Litigating Truck Collison
Truck Collisions Workshop Leader
2009
Fatigued Truckers: From Crash to Closing Argument
BEYOND AUDITING LOGS… THE TRUCKING COMPANY’S OBLIGATION TO PROVIDE FATIGUE TRAINING
2009
2009 Annual Convention
THE THREE RS: RULES, REGS & REPTILES
2008
Members Only Trucking Litigation Seminar
Driver Fatigue
2007
Wake Up Michigan Symposium
Fatigue and the Law
2007
Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association
DISCOVERY & PROOF OF DRIVER FATIGUE
2005
Transportation Megaconference VII
WHY COMPREHENSIVE DISCOVERY IS REASONABLE AND NECESSARY IN A TRUCK CRASH CASE
2005
Sorrow to Strength Truck Victims Conference
Debunking Truck Industry Myths: The Status of Truck Safety
Publications
2016
Missouri Practice Series
Litigation Guide (Volumes 2 and 2A)
2015
Missouri Practice Series
Litigation Guide (Volumes 2 and 2A)
2014
Damages a State by State Summary
Chapter 26, Missouri
2014
Missouri Practice Series
Litigation Guide (Volumes 2 and 2A)
2012
American Bar Association, Truck Accident Litigation
Truck Driver Fatigue – A Primer
2012
American Bar Association, Truck Accident Litigation
Handling a Plaintiff's Truck Crash Case – What You Don't Know Can Hurt You and Your Client
2012
American Bar Association, Truck Accident Litigation, 2nd Edition
Leveling the Playing Field: Handling a Plaintiff’s Truck Crash Case – What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You… And Your Client
2005
Truck Accident Litigation, 2nd Edition
HANDLING A PLAINTIFF’S TRUCK CRASH CASE – WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW CAN HURT YOU … AND YOUR CLIENT
2002
Trial Magazine
Asleep at the Wheel?
2002
Missouri Practice Series
Litigation Guide (Volumes 2 and 2A)
1999
Missouri Lawyers Weekly
Truck Crash Cases – The Unlevel Playing Field
Languages
English
Spanish