Our Practice

A proud graduate of St. John’s University School of Law – where he served as the Editor-in-Chief of the law school's newspaper – D. Shawn Burkley practices both criminal and civil law at the trial and appellate levels. 

His practice-style concentrates on the opportunity to help the people involved as much as addressing the legal issues. This approach has resulted in his fellow lawyers regularly nominating him for recognition as both a Super Lawyer, Rising Star, and Lawyer of Distinction; as well as being nominated to the Litigation Counsel of America's Trial Lawyer Honorary Society. He represents the anonymous with the same zeal as the well-known, having previously participated in the representation of clients such as Harvey Weinstein and Yasiel Puig.

Within just four years of practice, Shawn was the lead attorney on a winning appeal that prevented large railroads from escaping liability for injuring individual railroad workers just because the worker had settled a prior claim. 

(Chacon v. Union Pacific Railroad (2020) 56 Cal.App.5th 565.)

Shawn is especially passionate about correcting inequities where he sees them. In one of his first cases, Shawn represented a veteran of the Vietnam war who suffered from psychological scarring. When the City of Los Angeles obtained, and tried to enforce, a $1.174 million judgment against the veteran because he wasn’t able to adequately represent himself, Shawn used extensive post-judgment motion practice to get the judge to order the City to take a more humane approach. The result was a negotiated settlement with the City Attorney’s office that allowed the veteran to keep his home and a payment that was less than one-tenth of the entered judgment. (Los Angeles Case No. BC590776.)

While investigating a civil matter in a Central Valley prison, Shawn met an inmate who had already served 20 years of a life sentence. After learning that he had been incarcerated since the age of 18 due to a conviction based on the “felony murder rule,” Shawn knew, under recent changes in the law, that the man’s sentence was unjust where he had been a minor participant in events occurring two decades ago. Despite uncertainty in the courts on how to proceed and considerable resistance from the Fresno D.A.’s office, Shawn persisted with his petition, and that man is now free and living a productive life. (Fresno County Case No. F03901030.)

Through proper examination of the evidence and facts of the case, Shawn has negotiated for his clients: numerous dismissals, substantial sentence reductions (often including time served), or diversion programs that allow the accused to escape the stigma of a conviction. At trial, he has, among other things, transformed an attempted first-degree murder case (25 to life) to the lesser included offense of attempted voluntary manslaughter (3 to 11 years). The charges he has defended his clients against range from low-level misdemeanors (DUIs, solicitation, and threats via electronic communication) to life cases (multiple rape, assault with a deadly weapon and murder).

In civil practice, Shawn has applied the same principles to turn the tables on unscrupulous contractors by making them pay after they placed “mechanics’ liens” on the homes of unsuspecting consumers for uncomplete work. He has successfully confronted insurers unwilling to adequately compensate their injured clients’ claims in automobile and motorcycle accidents. 

His civil work also extends to representing clients that require a defense in opposing restraining orders which abuse the process. 

An area of practice he is especially passionate about is federal and state civil rights.

Prior to practicing law, Shawn travelled extensively and conducted business on three continents.  Now returned to his native Los Angeles, he previously lived eight years in New York and the better part of a decade in Europe. He speaks fluent French and conversational Spanish.