Robert Burford is the co-cofounder of Houston’s Burford Perry, a high-stakes civil trial firm specializing in critical areas affecting businesses throughout Texas and the U.S. With more than three decades of commercial litigation experience, Mr. Burford focuses on complex business disputes for plaintiffs and defendants. He routinely handles court and arbitration cases involving breach of fiduciary duty, securities fraud, directors’ and officers’ liability, legal malpractice, oil and gas-related matters, shareholder and partnership disputes, trade secret theft, healthcare-related litigation, and complex contract disputes. He has also defended clients in government investigations by the SEC.
Mr. Burford has amassed numerous multimillion-dollar courtroom and arbitration victories and settlements for clients while defending against financially ruinous litigation for others. Most recently, those wins include an interim arbitration award in a dispute over the profits from a $200 million contract with the State of Texas; a $138 million jury verdict in a shareholder derivative action for breach of fiduciary duty (which was named by TopVerdict.com as one of the 50 largest jury verdicts in the country for 2023); a $7.4 million arbitration award for a minority owner in a dispute involving ownership and operation of 12 healthcare facilities; and the successful defense of his client involving claims totaling more than $500 million related to the development of a $13 billion-dollar LNG facility.
Additional wins include successfully defending his clients in a case of alleged fraud involving the sale of a $12.5 million office building; successfully defending his client against alleged misrepresentations in the sale of a $400 million gas processing facility; securing injunctive and equitable relief against defendants to prevent the fraudulent transfer of more than $188 million in stock; and winning a multi-million dollar settlement for plaintiffs who invested in high-tech A.I. development based on misrepresentations about its capabilities. Drawing on his deep business background, Mr. Burford often resolves disputes by finding pragmatic business solutions for his clients when protracted litigation is not a realistic option.
A veteran of two Big Eight audit firms who initially worked as a corporate and tax attorney before beginning his career in commercial litigation in 1989, Mr. Burford has earned repeated recognition in the Benchmark Litigation rankings based on his courtroom prowess in significant business disputes.
Clients rely on Mr. Burford’s extensive legal knowledge and depth of experience for matters beyond his considerable success in complex commercial litigation. His business background provides him with a real-world appreciation of the intricacies of these cases and his clients’ industries. He also brings a detailed understanding of accounting principles when addressing the inevitable financial considerations in significant legal cases. His attention to detail and thorough approach are two of the main reasons clients rely on Mr. Burford, no matter what type of business crisis they encounter.
Mr. Burford has also been recognized by Chambers USA, The Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, and other prestigious professional ranking organizations.
Updated Oct 2024
