He began his legal career as a successful prosecutor at the Harris County DA’s Office. He has been chosen for inclusion in the Who’s Who in Energy from 2011-2014. He has received international recognition for his pro bono work on behalf of abused children and was previously named, “Outstanding Young Lawyer of Houston,” by the Houston Young Lawyers Association.

In addition to his upstream litigation experience, Mr. Burton has extensive experience handling disputes over midstream energy contracts including processing agreements and NGL allocation disputes. He has represented pipeline construction and maintenance companies, as well as E&P companies with TENORM litigation arising out of the radioactive contamination of pipelines and processing facilities.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Burton has also handled a wide array of environmental matters and worked closely with a variety of federal, state, and local enforcement offices, including the Environmental Crimes Division of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

A major emphasis of Mr. Burton’s work involves the litigation of warranty and indemnity claims for and against numerous manufacturers. Mr. Burton has developed, negotiated and defended contractual indemnities, including those covered by the Texas and Louisiana Anti-Indemnity Statutes, on behalf of equipment manufacturers for the onshore and offshore oil and gas drilling and production industry.

Pro Bono

Mr. Burton has appeared on ABC News’ 20/20, ABC’s Good Morning America, ABC News’ PrimeTime Live, Donahue (3/96), HBO’s America Undercover series (“Women on Trial”)(11/93), CNN’s Nancy Grace Show (1/2008), BBC World News, Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine, and numerous other local and national TV, radio, and printed media as an expert on child abuse, child advocacy, and children’s legal issues.

He is an internationally recognized expert on child abuse and neglect and is the founder of Justice for Children, a national child advocacy organization that provides pro bono legal services and social services to victims of abuse and neglect across the United States. He was the Keynote speaker at the International Conference on Children’s Rights in Wales in 2012 attended by representatives from the 192 signatories to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and is a charter member of the International Observatory on Human Rights of Children and Young People. He is a frequent author and lecturer on child abuse and criminal justice issues and has testified before Congress and numerous state legislative committees over the past 27 years.