Burns the Attorney, Inc., is my law firm. I’m Leslie Burns.
I grew up in a house full of creatives (brothers and mother) and even my father was an actor before becoming a general practice lawyer. I’ve worked in the creative industries since the 90s, as a studio manager, photographers’ rep and producer and, later, a marketing consultant to photographers. I’ve lectured across the USA and even written a couple of books on the business of being a commercial photographer.
Before all that I was an odd academic who simply loved learning. I (eventually) got a BA in French, then got a full scholarship to get my MA in French linguistics and film and then my PhD. While I completed my PhD coursework in medieval French literature and language, I bailed before completing the doctorate (there was some “me too” there). In short: Geek, c’est moi.
After seeing how creatives got screwed so often in business, I decided I’d love to go to law school to protect them better. It took a while before I could make that happen, financially, but in 2008 I got offered a full scholarship and leapt at the chance. I loved law school. I passed the California bar on the first try and have been licensed and practicing in California since 2011.
I call myself a “bad buddhist” and you’ll see references to that in my work and writings here. Basically, it means I try to use respect, compassion, and a desire to resolve problems amicably whenever possible. However, when needed, I’m as tenacious as a badger. Think Carol Kane in Scrooged–sweet, but more than capable of going all lawyer-ninja on opponents.
A Midwesterner until my 30s, I now live in San Diego with my boyfriend (Tony), cat (Ruth Bader Catzburg), and Blue Heeler (Mongo Santamaria). You can follow me on Mastodon.
