Michael S. Burg
Michael Burg J.D. is one of America’s leading trial lawyers, a best-selling author, legal expert, and founding shareholder of Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine. A legal champion for victims of corporate and individual malfeasance, negligence, overreach, and abuse, Burg began his career fighting for the underdog and has gone on to successfully litigate some of the country’s most high-profile cases of the past four decades. Under Burg’s leadership, Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine has expanded to more than 70 attorneys across seven cities. A national leader in mass tort and class action litigation, the firm has won more than $1 billion in verdicts, judgments, and settlements on behalf of its clients.
During his 43-year career, Burg has been a vigilant consumer watchdog, representing thousands of individuals and helping their families overcome catastrophic injuries and immense hardship. He has taken on big pharma in multiple, dangerous drug mass tort cases including Fen-Phen, Yaz/Yasmin, Ortho Evra, and Pradaxa. Burg stood up to corporate greed fighting against UBS for knowingly selling risky mortgages to investors, creating the blueprint for many similar actions by states, municipalities, government regulators, and other aggrieved investors. More recently, Burg filed a sweeping action against 28 California wineries to stop them from selling toxic wine contaminated with arsenic. In 2019, Michael Burg secured a $58.5 million dollar verdict in compensatory and punitive damage for families who had donated bodies of their deceased loved ones to the Biological Resource Center. He represented the victims of a fraudulent scheme to illegally sell human body parts of their loved one’s bodies that were supposed to be donated for scientific and medical education and research. The verdict is one of the largest civil case results in Arizona history.
Burg is a member of the Arizona, Colorado, and Nebraska bars and is an inductee into the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame, an honor that recognizes his lifelong dedication to representing clients at the highest level. Michael Burg is a recipient of the Clarence Darrow Award, and was inducted into the 2019 US Legal 500 Hall of Fame for Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action: Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices-Plaintiff. He was also recognized by Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year” in 2018,” for Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Plaintiffs, Denver. In 2018. In 2020, 5280 Magazine recognized Michael Burg as a Top Lawyer in two categories: Civil Litigation and Personal Injury Plaintiff. Also in 2020, Law Week Colorado named Michael Burg as Barrister’s Choice (Editorial Selection) for Best Overall Litigator. Mike Burg has been consistently recognized by Colorado Super Lawyers every year since 2006.
Burg is the author of the best-selling book, Trial by Fire: One Man’s Battle to End Corporate Greed and Save Lives, (BenBella Books 2016), a harrowing and moving account of his lifelong battle against corporate greed and corruption played out in a high-stakes courtroom drama.
Burg was admitted to the practice of law in 1976 after receiving a J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and a B.A. from the University of Denver. He’s an Advocate and Life Fellow of the American Board of Trial Advocates, a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, a Sustaining Fellow of the Roscoe Pound Institute and serves on the board of Denver’s Mizel Museum.An active and committed member of his community, Burg is a noted supporter of Craig Hospital, Food Bank of the Rockies, Toys for Tots, Make A Wish Colorado, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, and the Denver Bar Association Community Action Network.
Judicial Appointments
The Honorable Jack Weinstein, United States District Judge, Eastern District of New York – Plaintiff Steering Committee for the Zyprexa Multi-District Litigation;
The Honorable Eldon Fallon, United States District Judge, Eastern District of Louisiana – State Liaison Committee for the Vioxx Multi-District Litigation;
The Honorable David A. Katz, United States District Judge, Northern District of Ohio – Co-Lead Counsel, Ortho Evra Products Multi-District Litigation;
The Honorable David Herndon, United States District Judge for the Southern District of Illinois – Co-Lead Counsel, Yaz/Yasmin Multi-District Litigation.
- Inducted to the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame, 2016
- Law Week Colorado's, Barrister's Best - Best Civil Litigator, 2016
- Law Week Colorado’s, Barrister’s Best - People’s Choice: Best Class Action/Mass Tort Lawyer, Plaintiffs, 2018
- Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year 2018,” Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Plaintiffs, Denver
- Hall of Fame, U.S. Legal 500, Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action: Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices - Plaintiff, 2019
- Law Week Colorado's, Barrister's Best - Barrister's Choice (Editorial Selection): Best Overall Litigator, 2020
5280 Magazine's Top Lawyers Awards:
Top Lawyer for Civil Litigation, 2020 and 2022
Top Lawyer for Personal Injury Plaintiff, 2020 and 2022
- Recipient of the CTLA's Kenneth Norman Kripke Lifetime Achievement Award, 2022
- Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year 2016,” Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs, Denver
- America’s 50 Leading Trial Lawyers, The U.S. Legal 500, 2012-2019
- Recommended Attorney, Mass Tort, The U.S. Legal 500, 2012-2019
- AVVO®, Highest Distinction of Superb 10.0 Attorney Rating
- Lawyer of the Decade, Law Week Colorado, 2000-2010
- Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year 2013,” Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs, Denver
- Senior Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America
- Law Week Colorado's, Barrister’s Best - People’s Choice: Best Civil Litigator, 2015
- Clarence Darrow Award, 2013
- Outstanding Alumni Award, The University of Denver Sturm College of Law, 2013
- Top 100 Most Influential Attorneys (National), the National Trial Lawyers
- Top 100 Attorney, Civil Plaintiff, the National Trial Lawyers
- Selected to Best Lawyers® in America, 2007 - present
- Wiedemann and Wysocki Award, American Association for Justice, 2014
- Litigation Star, Benchmark Litigation, United States – Plaintiffs, Mass Tort/Product Liability, 2013
- Local Litigation Star, Benchmark Litigation, Colorado – Plaintiffs, 2012 and 2013
- Denver Business Journal Power Book, 2011 and 2013
- President, The National Trial Lawyers, 2010
- “Best of the U.S.” 2006 – 2011
- Law Week Colorado's, Barrister’s Best - Overall Litigator, 2010
- Law Week Colorado's, Barrister’s Best - Personal Injury, 2009 – 2011
- Law Week Colorado's, Barrister’s Best - Mass Tort Lawyer, 2011 and 2012
- Colorado Lawyer of the Year, Law Week Colorado, 2015
- AV Preeminent® Rating, Martindale-Hubbell
- Heavy Lifting Award, American Association for Justice (AAJ), 2011
Colorado Super Lawyers®, 2006 – present
Top 100 Super Lawyers®, 2014 - 2018 and 2020 - present
Top 50 Super Lawyers®, 2007
- 5280 Magazine Top Lawyer, 2015-2022
Englewood, Colorado 80112
