After working as a public accountant for two Big Eight accounting firms, Robert Burford graduated from the University of Houston Law School in 1986 with honors. He was a member of the Houston Law Review, Order of the Coif, and Order of the Barons. Mr. Burford worked as a tax lawyer for three years at Mayor, Day, Caldwell & Keeton, and then began his career as a commercial litigator in 1989 with Gibbs & Bruns, L.L.P., one of the nation’s most highly recognized boutique firms. There he earned such accolades as finalist in the American Lawyer’s Boutique Litigation Firm of the Year, the Plaintiffs’ Hot List, and numerous other awards.

Mr. Burford became a partner with Gibbs & Bruns in 1993, and served as managing partner or co-managing partner of the firm for many years. Mr. Burford left Gibbs & Bruns in 2009 to start his own firm, where he was named to Benchmark Litigation’s “Litigation Stars” list for 3 successive years. He founded Burford Perry, LLP with partner Brent Perry in 2015.

Mr. Burford has worked on complex commercial litigation matters for nearly 30 years, and was listed in The Best Lawyers in America^© (since 2020) for Commercial Litigation. He has been recognized in the Chambers and Partners USA listing since 2022 for Litigation: General Commercial – a prestigious independent research company operating across 200 jurisdictions delivering detailed rankings and insight in to the world’s leading lawyers. He has been selected to Texas Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters for the last 18 consecutive years (2004 – 2022), a long-term recognition that few trial lawyers share.

Mr. Burford focuses his practice exclusively on business and commercial litigation. He has handled complex, high-stakes business disputes of nearly every variety for both plaintiffs and defendants, including litigation involving fiduciary duties, securities fraud, mergers and acquisitions, Director’s and Officers’ liability, legal malpractice, oil and gas matters, partnership disputes, intellectual property disputes, theft of trade secrets, healthcare related matters, and complex contractual disputes.

Clients have come to rely on Mr. Burford’s extensive legal knowledge and depth of experience for complex commercial litigation matters. With his background in tax law and decades of trial experience, Mr. Burford appreciates the intricacies involved with these types of issues and has a detailed understanding of the underlying accounting principles involved in financial legal matters. His attention to detail and thorough approach benefit his clients, no matter what type of legal issue they may encounter.

Mr. Burford’s cases include, or have included:

• Muhammad Salim, et al. v. Fuad Cochinwala, et al.
• Parallax Enterprises LLC v. Cheniere Energy, Inc. v. Tellurian, Inc., et al.
• State Venture LLC v. 2525 Inner Loop, L.P., 2525 Inner Loop GP, LLC, et al.
• Panton, Inc. securities litigation, Harris County, Texas
• San Marcos Ranch, Ltd., et al. v. Hilcorp Energy Co. and ConocoPhillips
• Thomas Moran II, as Trustee for Life Partners Holdings, Inc. v. Brian Pardo, et al.
• WTG Gas Processing, L.P. v. ConocoPhillips Company, et al.
• Francis D. John v. Key Energy Services, Inc.
• Houston Police Officers Pension System v. City of Houston, et al.
• D. Bobbitt Noel, Jr. v. Chief Energy and Devon Energy Holdings, L.L.C., et al.
• In Re: Azurix Securities Litigation.
• Representation of several of the largest law firms in Houston, Nevada, and New York such as Vinson & Elkins, Locke Lorde, Lionel Sawyer & Collins.

Bar Admissions:

• Texas, 1986

Education:

• University of Houston Law Center, Houston, Texas
  • J.D. (Cum Laude) – 1986
  • Honors: With Honors
  • Honors: Order of the Coif
  • Honors: Order of the Baron
  • Law Review: Houston Law Review, Member
• University of Houston, Houston, Texas
  • B.B.A. – 1981

Honors and Awards:

• Recognized in the Chambers and Partners USA listing for Litigation: General Commercial, 2022-2023
• Listed in The Best Lawyers in America^© for Commercial Litigation, 2020-2024
• Texas Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters, 2004-2022
• America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators, 2020

Past Employment Positions

• Mayor, Day, Caldwell & Keeton, Tax Lawyer
• Gibbs & Bruns, L.L.P., Partner