attorney Profiles: Brent Burns

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Mr. Burns is a partner of LAX & NEVILLE, LLP, and has represented national broker-dealers in diverse matters related to financial regulatory and employment law issues. Mr. Burns has extensive experience representing both employers and employees regarding recruiting practices and litigation, specifically:

• Advising brokers of best practices to avoid litigation before they resign;
• Negotiating on behalf of brokers with new prospective employers;
• Advising brokers regarding their employment contracts and non-competition/non-solicitation agreements;
• Advising broker dealers on best practices when hiring a prospective broker;
• Advising brokers and negotiating the resolution of outstanding promissory notes; and
• Obtaining temporary restraining orders against former employees preventing them from using employer’s trade secrets.

Mr. Burns has also defended brokerage firms in securities arbitrations against claims of fraud, misrepresentation, suitability, unauthorized trading and churning.

Mr. Burns has also performed internal investigations of several stock loan departments, and has represented those firms and their current and former employees in FINRA Regulatory and Enforcement Division and SEC investigations.

Mr. Burns has also represented and advised clients in a wide variety of commercial litigation matters including:

• Representing minority shareholders in a dissolution of a closely held corporation;
• Defending a former officer of a insurance company who created a competing firm, against allegations of breach of employment agreement, fiduciary duty, etc.;
• Representing director of a publicly traded company in a fight for control of the board of directors; and
• Defending a regional broker dealer in a securities class action defense.

Prior to joining LAX & NEVILLE, LLP, Mr. Burns had worked at a boutique firm for the former head of litigation at PaineWebber, at a one hundred attorney firm in Chicago, and as in-house counsel at Prudential Securities. Mr. Burns gained additional experience as an equities trader and has held Series 7, 55 and 63 licenses.

Mr. Burns is admitted to practice law in New York, New Jersey and Illinois and is a member of the New York County Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association.