Ryan B. Burns

Ryan represents individuals and corporations in high-stakes business litigation, energy litigation, and construction litigation. He also has experience representing trustees and executors in complex probate and trust litigation. Ryan navigates all major stages of litigation, from case inception through resolution. His comprehensive experience includes crafting litigation strategies, securing temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions, managing the discovery process, conducting depositions, and advocating for clients at trial and arbitration.

Ryan’s clients range from international general contractors to small business owners and publicly traded companies facing complex business disputes. An active contributor to pro bono initiatives, he also provides assistance to individuals affected by Hurricane Harvey-related fraud.

• Served as the firm’s lead trial counsel in a multiparty commercial fraud case and obtained a jury verdict more than 10 times the highest pretrial settlement offer.
• Obtained a complete summary judgment victory on behalf of a Texas-based real estate lender, along with an award of attorneys’ fees and costs, after the action had been pending for more than two years and prior counsel lost multiple requests for injunctive relief.
• Secured a multimillion-dollar settlement for a multinational software company that was sued by a former licensee for breach of contract and tortious interference.
• Successfully represented an oil and gas company and six of its directors and officers of against fraud and breach of fiduciary duty claims brought by a trustee seeking to recover more than $143 million.
• Secured complete dismissal of claims on behalf of an individual administrator of an estate in a multi-million-dollar trust and will dispute.
• Represents a HUB-certified small business bringing multimillion-dollar claims for fraud, breach of contract, negligent misrepresentation, and civil conspiracy.
• Represents a real estate developer in a series of mechanics’ lien foreclosure lawsuits arising from the general contractor’s contract defaults.
• Secured an award of more than $1 million in attorneys’ fees on behalf of a financial institution while obtaining a complete dismissal of $37 million in claims for breach of fiduciary duty, negligence, and conspiracy.
• Represented a multigenerational food and beverage company in trade secret and unfair competition litigation, resulting in a take-nothing defense settlement after replacing prior counsel who lost requests for both injunction and contempt.
• Secured a pre-trial settlement in favor of an international petrochemicals company bringing claims for fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and violations of the Texas Theft Liability Act.
• Represented a financial technology company in multimillion-dollar litigation against a former employee and officer involving claims of defamation, tortious interference, and theft of trade secrets.
• Represented an international general contractor in AASA arbitrations arising from the development of wind farms in Kansas and West Texas.
• Secured a pre-litigation settlement in favor of homeowners in a dispute arising from the design and construction of a penthouse apartment in Houston, Texas.
• Represented a midstream company in AAA arbitration related to the design and construction of natural gas processing plants in the Delaware Basin.
• Represented a general contractor in collecting unpaid change orders associated with owner-directed changes and extra work performed during the construction of a natural gas pipeline and related facilities.
• Secured a pre-trial settlement in favor of homeowners in a multiparty, multimillion-dollar construction defect case under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the Texas Residential Construction Liability Act.
• Obtained a take-nothing defense settlement as the lead associate in trade secret and unfair competition litigation related to the restaurant and consumer product industry.
• Represented a midstream company as the lead associate in collecting a disputed minimum volume commitment payment of $7 million and in defense of various business tort claims.
• Obtained a take-nothing judgment for a Houston property development and management company against its former CEO, who initially sought in excess of $20 million related to his retirement and compensation.
• Represented a privately held natural gas supplier as the lead associate in litigation to collect full amounts of disputed invoices following Winter Storm Uri.
• Assisted in the representation of a construction subcontractor in bringing lien claims to collect full amounts owed for work related to the development and construction of hotel and private residences in Louisiana.
• Represented a subcontractor in the negotiation of materials subcontract related to the expansion and renovation of a car dealership.
• Drafted a trial briefing in connection with a take-nothing judgment for a national bank against plaintiffs seeking damages in excess of $9 million.