The trial law firm of Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine, PC continued its 45-year tradition of excellence in all areas of civil trial law in 2021. The firm solidified its reputation for leadership both in and out of the courtroom—from representing clients in high-profile matters, to adapting to COVID-19-related changes like video depositions, to expanding their offices, to adding nine shareholders and several young associate attorneys who bring a wealth of experience.
Headquartered in Colorado, but with offices around the country, the firm has secured more than $3 billion in verdicts, settlements and judgments for clients. This includes more than 200 individual recoveries in excess of $1 million each in the areas of mass tort, class action, personal injury, workers’ compensation, construction defects, medical malpractice and complex business and commercial litigation.
“Whether we’re in front of a jury or preparing for trial, we are always learning,” says Michael S. Burg, who founded the firm in 1977. “Every new lawyer, courtroom innovation and technique we make ultimately benefits our clients, because we truly believe that the lawyer you choose matters.”
Burg Simpson clearly has its finger on emerging risks in the construction industry. The firm opened its Construction Defect practice in Florida in 2020. In the wake of the Champlain Towers South Condominium collapse in 2021, the construction defect team is preemptively working to identify substandard construction patterns among other local residential buildings to prevent similar risks.
“One of the deadliest structural engineering failures in U.S. history occurred right near other condominiums which may have similarly shoddy construction,” Burg says. “We are collaborating with local homeowners’ associations to ensure their buildings are structurally sound and that their residents are safe.”
The expansion in Florida is just one example the successful strategies in place for the firm as it continues to grow. Burg Simpson’s Arizona office, for example, continues to expand in several areas of law, including personal injury, medical malpractice and insurance bad faith. Burg says that worker’s compensation bad faith by insurance companies, particularly, is a practice area poised for growth with an increasing number of injured Arizonans becoming aware of their rights and finding that the insurance companies are not acting in good faith in the payment of their benefits. “The obligation in workers’ compensation is on the carrier to make sure that the employee is getting the treatment to which they are entitled.”
The firm’s national reputation for justice led to its representing clients who were injured during the Astroworld music festival in Houston, Texas on November 5, 2021. Their claims were caused by the massive crowd surge during Travis Scott’s performance, which left eight people dead, 20 hospitalized and at least 300 more injured.
Additional high-profile consumer law cases include representing a client who was scalded and suffered from severe burns when her Sunbeam Crock-Pot exploded in 2019 as well as investigating claims by patients diagnosed with cancer after taking the appetite-reducing drug, Belviq (lorcaserin).
Burg Simpson and the firm’s trial lawyers have received numerous accolades from their peers in the legal community. The firm has a national Tier 1 ranking from U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” in Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions–Plaintiffs and was recognized as Tier 1 in Colorado for the following practice areas: Construction Law; Litigation - Construction; Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs; Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs; Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs; Professional Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs; and Workers’ Compensation Law - Claimants.
This year, 46 Burg Simpson attorneys were listed in The Best Lawyers in America® and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America for 2022. Additionally, Best Lawyers recognized two Burg Simpson lawyers as 2022 “Lawyer of the Year” recipients in Denver: John M. Connell for Workers’ Compensation Law - Claimants and David P. Hersh for Professional Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs.
Burg Simpson’s roster of seasoned litigators is balanced by the new shareholders, associates and young lawyers the firm has hired, adding to its roster of outstanding legal minds. Burg notes that the firm is proud to be comprised of individuals from all walks of life and from diverse backgrounds, all of which will keep Burg Simpson at the forefront of trial law.
“Our lawyers understand what it takes to succeed in the modern courtroom. Our younger attorneys are also helping to reshape the way we present information to juries,” says Burg, who was named Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” in Denver for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs in 2013 and 2018, and for Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs in 2016. “We are enhancing our abilities as courtroom storytellers by using demonstrative evidence and advanced technology to better explain the depth of our clients’ injuries. Though we have endured several delays and uncertainties due to COVID-19, staying on the cutting edge of client advocacy has allowed us to continue to achieve outstanding results for our clients.”
Burg Simpson has more than 70 attorneys with offices in seven states. As the firm continues to grow and expand, the interest of the clients is and will remain at the forefront—the driving force behind why Burg Simpson remains committed to being Good Lawyers. Changing Lives.
Justin Smulison is a professional writer who regularly contributes to Best Lawyers. He was previously a reporter for the New York Law Journal and also led content and production for the Custom Projects Group at ALM Media. In addition to his various credited and uncredited writing projects, he has developed global audiences hosting and producing podcasts and audio interviews for professional organizations and music sites. JustinSmulison.contently.com
