Court Rules Insurance Coverage Can be Pursued to Settle Claims of Oakland Diocese Sexual Abuse Survivors 

In a case involving the bankruptcy filed in May 2023 by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland, Judge William J. Lafferty of the Northern District of California has issued an order confirming that the Unsecured Creditors Committee, which represents more than 325 sexual abuse survivors, now has broad authority to intervene in an insurance coverage adversary proceeding between the Diocese and its insurers. Read more

Firm Partners Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for 2024

Burns Bair is pleased to announce that the firm’s two partners have been honored in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in America, the oldest and one of the most-respected guides to the legal industry. Read more

Firm Partners Named Among Nation’s Top Bankruptcy Lawyers

Congratulations to the firm’s Tim Burns and Jesse Bair for being named to the list of the nation’s 500 top bankruptcy and restructuring attorneys by the Lawdragon legal guide. Read more

Tim Burns Earns Prestigious Chambers USA Ranking for Outstanding Work in Dispute Resolution

The firm is delighted to announce that partner Tim Burns has been named as one of only 31 lawyers in the nation recognized in the practice area of Insurance: Dispute Resolution: Policyholder by the Chambers USA guide to the legal profession. Read more

Leakhena Au Honored by State Bar of Wisconsin

Leakhena Au is one of 24 attorneys invited by the State Bar of Wisconsin to attend its annual Leadership Development Summit in Madison. Those invited have displayed leadership capabilities, demonstrated a strong commitment to the legal profession, and possess the potential to be the next generation of State Bar leaders. Congratulations to Leakhena for this tremendous accomplishment!

More information on the Summit can be found here.

Tim Burns Presents On Supreme Court Case Review

On Thursday, May 25th, attorney Tim Burns will present the Dane County Bar Association’s annual U.S. Supreme Court civil case review. Tim will focus on the results of the Court’s decisions in the past few terms, including whether the Court is returning us to a pre-New Deal place in the law. You can learn more about the event and register to attend here.

Tim Burns Honored Among Nation’s Top 500 Lawyers for Plaintiffs in Litigation  

Firm co-founder Timothy W. Burns has been named to the list of the 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers in the nation for 2023 by the Lawdragon legal guide. He is a leading attorney in high-stakes litigation against insurance companies, often representing individuals as well as large corporations and corporate boards. A significant portion of his practice is currently devoted to representing sexual abuse survivors in bankruptcy litigation that seeks recoveries from perpetrators’ insurance policies.   Read more

Firm Continues Efforts to Resolve Claims with Catholic Diocese

Burn Bair is continuing to represent unsecured creditors seeking to resolve ongoing sexual assault claims against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre. Earlier this week the bankruptcy court urged both sides to schedule more mediation sessions to reach a consensual settlement. The judge has requested additional responses from the parties on whether he should reconcile their widely varying estimates on the value of the claims by issuing his own estimate from the bench. You can read more on Law360.

Firm Proposes Plan to Resolve New York Diocese Bankruptcy

Burns Bair continues to actively seek a resolution to the bankruptcy petition filed more than two years ago by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York. As one of the lead law firms representing the official committee of creditors, which includes dozens of alleged victims of abuse, Burns Bair and co-counsel have submitted a Chapter 11 plan that calls for the diocese and its affiliates to pay $321 million into a fund for sexual abuse victims, tens of millions more than the diocese proposed. Read more

Firm Playing Key Role in Resolving Diocese of Rochester Sexual Abuse Claims

After more than three years of intense work, a group of attorneys representing approximately 475 sexual abuse survivors in claims against the Diocese of Rochester, New York, have negotiated a settlement to resolve the Diocese’s Chapter 11 case. The settlement provides that the Diocese and related entities will pay $55 million to a trust for the benefit of survivors and assign valuable insurance rights to that trust to pursue a more substantial recovery from the insurers. Read more