Megan T. Burns Discusses Trial Preparation and Top California Verdicts with Eve Legal

Mirador Law is proud to announce that Managing Partner Megan T. Burns is featured in a piece by Eve Legal. The article examines how her deep background in the courtroom shapes our firm’s approach to complex personal injury litigation.

The Public Defender Advantage

Before filing her first personal injury complaint, Burns tried nearly 50 cases to verdict as a San Francisco public defender. She learned to handle high stakes in a fast environment where she had to rely entirely on her own preparation.

That exact preparation remains a core habit at Mirador Law today. The night before a trial, Burns organizes physical evidence on her office floor while listening to Coltrane. She physically reviews photos, records, and exhibits until the case is thoroughly mastered. By the time she enters the courtroom, the trial is largely won.

Securing Top 50 Plaintiff Verdicts in California

This disciplined approach produces real results for injured clients. Last year, Burns and Mirador Law partner Emily Dahm secured two of the top 50 plaintiff personal injury verdicts in California.

The first was a $9.57 million verdict in Alameda County. The firm represented a mother and her teenage daughter who were attacked by other teenagers on a high school campus. The jury held the school district liable because employees knew about the ongoing bullying for almost a year and failed to act.

The second top 50 verdict was an $8.16 million result against the City of Martinez. A family suffered severe injuries, including bone fractures and spinal trauma, when a large tree fell on them at a downtown farmers market. The city had improperly planted and ignored the tree for nineteen years.

Mastering Voir Dire and Trial Strategy

Securing these verdicts requires advanced trial strategies and an understanding of jury dynamics. In the Alameda case, the strategy focused on earning jury trust by addressing difficult facts directly during voir dire. Burns emphasizes that attempting to hide or spin facts will immediately cost an attorney their credibility.

In the Martinez case, the firm utilized a big data jury model to evaluate potential biases in Contra Costa County. When the data showed that a client’s same sex marriage was a non issue for the jury pool, Burns dropped her planned voir dire questions on the topic entirely. Knowing when to avoid a subject is a critical skill developed only through extensive trial experience.

The Mirador Law Commitment

The plaintiff bar is dividing into firms that are prepared to try cases and firms that will settle for less than a case is worth. Mirador Law knows which side of that line we stand on.

[Read the full interview with Megan T. Burns on Eve Legal]

Attorney Advertisement. Mirador Law, Pleasanton, CA. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case is unique and results depend on individual facts and circumstances.