About JJ Burns

JJ Burns has built a national reputation as a truck crash trial lawyer, representing victims' families in cases involving driver fatigue, reckless hiring, poor training, defective equipment, and negligent maintenance. He pursues claims not only against trucking companies but also against shippers, freight brokers, double-brokering carriers, and logistics providers. JJ is Vice Chair of the American Association for Justice Trucking Litigation Group and an adjunct professor at UMKC Law School, where he teaches an Introduction to Personal Injury Litigation course annually. He has presented at seminars in 15 states and has been published in the Journal of Trucking Litigation, the American Bar Association publications, and the Michigan Law Review. He is licensed in both Missouri and Illinois.

Proven verdicts and settlements

$39 millionVerdict

A jury awarded nearly $39 million after a New Prime tractor-trailer jackknifed on icy Interstate 40 and triggered a multi-vehicle pileup that killed four people, including two members of a Texas family.

County Court at Law No. 5, Dallas County, Texas · 2017Truck AccidentsRead the full story →
View all 7 proven verdicts →

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is unique and depends on its own facts.

Practice areas

Education

University of Michigan Law School
J.D.
DePauw University
Undergraduate

Bar admissions & credentials

State Bar of Missouri
State Bar of Illinois

Other attorneys at Dollar, Burns, Becker & Hershewe

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Proven verdicts and settlements from other Kansas City firms

Brown & Crouppen
Brown & Crouppen
$462 million · $462 Million Verdict Against Trailer Maker Wabash in a Fatal St. Louis Underride Crash
The Popham Law Firm
The Popham Law Firm
$57 million · $57 Million Settlement for 1,700 Sprint Workers in Landmark ADEA Collective Action
Shamberg Johnson & Bergman
Shamberg Johnson & Bergman
$23.5 million verdict ($15.275 million judgment after comparative fault reduction) · $23.5 Million Verdict Against Swift Transportation for Meth-Impaired Driver Who Backed Into Highway Traffic
Wagstaff & Cartmell
Wagstaff & Cartmell
$235 million · Altria Pays $235 Million After Wagstaff & Cartmell Rests SFUSD's Case Mid-Trial
DM Injury Law
DM Injury Law
$10.5 million · $10.5 Million Settlement After Commercial Driver Kills Two Teens in Head-On Collision