Mediation
Assisted negotiation with the judgment of a trial judge who has seen how cases actually try.
United States District Judge, Retired · Judicate West
Hon. Larry A. Burns
Mediator, arbitrator, and private judge. Twenty-seven years on the federal bench in San Diego — now sitting with Judicate West wherever the case is.
San Diego, California · Available nationwide and abroad
27
Years on the federal bench
326
Federal jury trials presided over
150+
Jury trials as counsel
40
Ninth Circuit arguments
The practice
A trial judge for the cases that will not settle themselves.
Judge Burns joined Judicate West in 2024 after 27 years of federal judicial service, including two years as Chief Judge of the Southern District of California. Before the bench he was, by the account of his peers, the finest trial lawyer in the U.S. Attorney’s Office — more than 150 jury verdicts, 40 arguments in the Ninth Circuit.
He spent the first years of his judicial career as a civil settlement judge, resolving hundreds of cases. As a district judge he tried 326 federal juries: public-corruption prosecutions, cartel RICO trials, class actions, MDLs, securities, and a multi-million-dollar receivership in which investors recouped more than 95 percent of their money. Counsel request him because he already knows how the case looks from the bench.
Biography
Approach
“Preparation, patience, and persistence are the keys.”
Judge Burns treats mediation as assisted negotiation. By listening, questioning, and understanding the importance of pacing, he focuses the parties on what will actually move a dispute — not what makes for a good speech.
Hon. Larry A. Burns, Ret.
Services
How counsel use him
Arbitration
A scrupulous, efficient private trial — with the discipline of a federal courtroom.
Private Judge & Special Master
Referee, special master, and judge pro tem work for matters that cannot wait on a public docket.
Selected matters
A docket that prepared him for the hardest private cases.
Public corruption — U.S. v. Cunningham
Presided over the bribery prosecution of then-Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham, among the highest-profile federal cases in San Diego history, and sentenced him to more than eight years in prison.
Arellano Félix cartel prosecutions
Oversaw the RICO cases that largely dismantled Tijuana’s Arellano Félix organization, including the life sentence of Francisco Javier Arellano Félix.
Tucson shooting — special assignment
Selected by the Ninth Circuit to preside when the entire Arizona federal bench recused itself after the 2011 attack that wounded Rep. Gabby Giffords and killed six, including Chief Judge John Roll.
Receivership of a major Ponzi scheme
Supervised the receivership of San Diego’s largest Ponzi scheme. Investors ultimately recouped more than 95% of their investments.
From the bench
“When you look at the span of his career as a lawyer and a judge, it’s remarkable — he’s always the best at what he does. He’s exceptionally bright, deeply principled, loyal, a good friend. He has a wonderful sense of humor.”
Hon. Dana SabrawChief U.S. District Judge, Southern District of California
Judicate West
Request Judge Burns by name.
He sits as a full-time neutral with Judicate West. Ask for him when you submit the matter — the inquiry is already addressed to his calendar.