John Burman Fund for Clinical and Professional Education

Since joining the faculty of the UW College of Law in 1989, Professor Burman has taught and written about torts and legal ethics. Professor Burman has been the recipient of numerous awards over his legal career including: Carl M. Williams Professor of Law & Ethics, John P. Ellbogen Meritorious Classroom Teaching Award, Outstading Faculty Member, Thurman Arnold Award, Gerald R. Mason Professionalism Award, Golden Award from Wyoming Children’s Justice Foundation, and was a Fulbright Teaching Fellow. This list only names a few of his seemingly countless awards, and Professor Burman is more than deserving of each one. Burman began his legal career as a Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Minnesota. Several years later, he entered private practice with the Laramie, Wyoming, law firm of Corthell and King. (In 1996 Martindale-Hubbell, a group that evaluates lawyers throughout the United States, awarded Prof. Burman an “av” rating, its highest). He is still of counsel at Corthell and King and he focuses his practice on consulting with lawyers about grievances and malpractice, often serving as an expert witness in such cases. In addition to his consulting and expert witness work, Professor Burman is actively involved in pro bono representation. In 2002, he was the recipient of the Wyoming State Bar’s Pro Bono Award for legal service work for indigent clients. Professor Burman also received the Gideon Award from the Wyoming Public Defender’s Office in 2005 “For Outstanding Contributions To the Ideals of Equal Justice and ’Gideon’s Promise’ That Any Person Accused of a Crime Is Entitled to the Benefit of Counsel”. In 2010, Professor Burman was awarded the President Award by the Wyoming State Bar, for his ’commitment to legal education, the legal community,… [and for] contributions to the Wyoming State Bar…"