Brian Burgess > Goodwin > Washington DC, United States > Lawyer Profile

Goodwin Offices

Goodwin
1900 N Street NW
Washington, District of Columbia 20036
United States
Visit website 1 202 346 4000 1 202 346 4444

Brian Burgess

Brian Burgess photo
2023464215 [email protected]

Position

Partner

Career

Brian Burgess is a partner in Goodwin’s Litigation Department and Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation practice, co-chairs the firm’s FDA Litigation practice (which was honored by LMG in 2022 as the FDA Litigation & Enforcement Firm of the Year) and is a member of the firm’s Life Sciences Disputes group. His work focuses on appellate matters and complex civil litigation in federal courts, and he has experience in a wide range of areas including antitrust law, administrative law (with a particular focus on FDA litigation), constitutional law, intellectual property and financial services litigation. Brian has argued appeals in numerous courts, including twice in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Brian is recognized in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business as an “Up and Coming” attorney in the Nationwide Appellate Rankings, where he is noted in particular for “expertise in advising life sciences clients in disputes work.” Clients laud Brian for providing “timely and helpful advice across a variety of issues” and describe him as “a tremendous up-and-coming litigator” with “the unique skill of taking complicated controversial topics and making them simple, understandable and logical.” Another client notes that Brian is “a phenomenal lawyer with an impressive command of a variety of issues” and describes him as “a good writer and a strong oral advocate” with “tremendous drive.” Brian has also been named to Benchmark Litigation’s “40 & Under Hot List” for six consecutive years, from 2017-2022 and is a recommended lawyer for appellate by the Legal 500. In 2020, Brian was named a “D.C. Rising Star” by the National Law Journal.

Prior to joining Goodwin, Brian served as a law clerk to Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor of the Supreme Court of the United States. He previously worked in the Department of Justice as a special assistant to the Solicitor General.

Education

J.D., 2009 New York University (summa cum laude) / A.B., 2005 Dartmouth College (summa cum laude)

Lawyer Rankings

United States > Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)

The team at Goodwin is well-versed in representing life sciences and tech companies in patent and licensing disputes, as well as ERISA and class action appeals. The group is also routinely engaged in immigration and financial services cases. Leadership is shared between William Jay and Jaime Santos, both of whom are based in Washington, D.C.; and Boston-based Kevin Martin. Jay draws on notable experience arguing patent, copyright, and trademark cases before the Supreme Court, as well as handling constitutional law, securities, financial services, and class action mandates. Younger partner Santos focuses on appellate matters and has experience in ERISA litigation, patent litigation and product litigation. Martin, for his part, has been engaged in recent years on federal and state appellate court cases that have included successfully representing Workhuman in a case involving questions of statutory interpretation under Florida’s Private Whistleblower Act. D.C.-based Brian Burgess and Boston-based David Zimmer are additional key contacts. Gerard Cedrone left the firm for the Massachusetts State Solicitor’s Office in November 2024.

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