about us
amazing clients
At Burns & Levinson, we practice law differently. While our attorneys agree that results drive our business, building relationships with our clients and providing value added service is the key to our success. We work hard to provide the legal experience and industry knowledge you need, as well as the personal attention you deserve - adding value to your life and the life of your business. Your personal and business success is our top priority. So whatever your legal need, consider it done.
As a Boston-based firm with more than 125 attorneys, we are large enough to represent clients in complex and sophisticated matters, yet small enough to be very responsive, providing direct partner-level, proactive advice.
Our attorneys are experienced and extremely motivated. They're willing to go beyond their traditional role and do whatever it takes to get results. No matter what your legal need, we've got you covered.
Here are a few examples of how we get things done:
Our core areas of practice are Business Law, Business Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Intellectual Property, Real Estate and Private Client legal services, which include all related services from general corporate, intellectual property (including patents), employment, finance, securities, private equity, venture capital, real estate to tax, mediation, litigation, divorce, family law, trusts and estate planning and administration.
Burns & Levinson understands that each client has unique needs. We provide a team approach by utilizing all the talent available within our firm and partnering with others to meet our clients' needs. Our attorneys are client-centered and focused on more than just the matter at hand - they are business advisors who think globally. They want to know about your business and legal matter and how they can best support it. This is how they add extra value beyond the legal work.
Our entrepreneurial culture provides a sense of independence, while offering a team approach to support our attorneys' efforts and our clients' endeavors.
We represent dynamic, growth-oriented businesses, privately and publicly held companies, universities, institutions and individuals primarily located in the northeast.
Our clients are in various industries from traditional manufacturing and service businesses, high-technology and life sciences companies, and emerging companies to scientists, entrepreneurs and international-based companies.
We pride ourselves on value-added service. The firm formed Burns & Levinson Asset Management (B&L Asset Management LLC d/b/a Burns & Levinson Asset Management) to provide investment advisory and portfolio management services to our clients.
Our founders Thomas Burns and Larry Levinson, along with William Clancy and Robert Weinstein, established Burns & Levinson in 1960 on the principles of being accessible to clients, being responsive to their needs and ultimately providing the highest quality legal services. These principles have served our clients well. Our continued commitment to the founding principles of the firm results in an entrepreneurial approach to providing services.
In January 2006, 35 attorneys from Perkins Smith & Cohen joined our firm. The addition of these attorneys, known for their patent and intellectual property practices, with a focus on the science and technology sector, added depth and further enhanced our ability to fully service the science and technology industries.
Since then we have continued to support our clients in key areas of practice, adding talented attorneys in a variety of areas, expanding the breadth of expertise and experience to effectively serve their needs.
Founded in 1960
304 people in their team
Burns' corporate team assists clients in a broad range of legal services including acting as corporate counsel, mergers & acquisitions, securities law, private equity, venture capital and finance. We focus on being responsive to our client’s needs and providing the highest quality legal services in an efficient and cost-effective way driven by the relationship, not the billable hour.
Our corporate team builds strong relationships with their clients -- public companies, closely held private businesses, family-owned enterprises, entrepreneurial start-ups, middle market companies, financing sources and individuals -- by counseling them in all aspects of sophisticated corporate and business law. Our clients include local, national, and international corporations in a wide variety of industries from emerging businesses to established commercial entities.
Our team uses their vast network to expand business opportunities for clients, and they pride themselves on understanding their clients' businesses and industries. We advise and assist our clients to help them create and achieve their business goals in an ever-changing environment.
ur clients rely on our practical guidance to navigate the complex web of workplace issues. That many of our clients are long-term or repeat clients is a testament to the consistently effective services we provide. We are here for our clients whenever they may need us, and are with our clients until their issues are resolved. Whether our client is a serial entrepreneur moving from one company to another, a company that is making tough decisions about layoffs, or a start-up wondering how to protect its innovative technology, the employment group at Burns & Levinson takes care to learn about their clients and tailors solutions to meet their specific needs. We don’t tell our clients what they can’t do; we excel in working with our clients to find how we can reach their goals. As a mid-size firm, we not only offer direct relationships with seasoned members of our team, but also apply the depth of our resources to staff matters for efficiency and effectiveness. We also avail ourselves of the multi-state resources of the Law Firm Alliance when our clients require local practice in other jurisdictions.
Burns & Levinson represents clients throughout New England and the country to implement innovative and efficient solutions to complex real estate situations. Burns understands the unique challenges and opportunities real estate presents to commercial, government, institutional, and private clients and we work with them to develop specific strategies tailored to their particular goals and objectives.
Our real estate clients include real estate developers, charitable and education institutions, tenants, and public agencies involved in a wide range of projects such as office buildings, educational campuses, public works, industrial parks, manufacturing sites, retail centers, energy generating facilities, affordable housing, and multi-family residential buildings. We work with our clients throughout the entire process—from developing the right real estate asset strategy through project permitting and delivery.
Because complex real estate transactions require the support of a multi-disciplinary team of lawyers, our real estate attorneys routinely work with their colleagues throughout the firm to address finance, tax, litigation and corporate matters that arise on sophisticated real estate matters. We often advise clients on the structuring of real estate transactions for estate and business succession planning purposes, to maximize tax benefits, and for other business purposes, including the selection of appropriate ownership entities. Our real estate attorneys work closely with their counterparts in the Trusts & Estates Practice to structure and implement the most efficient plans to manage clients’ real estate holdings.
