801-323-3303
Paul C. Burke
Shareholder and General Counsel
Mr. Burke is a shareholder, director, and general counsel of Ray Quinney & Nebeker. Mr. Burke maintains a complex civil litigation practice with an emphasis in the realm of labor and employment law. He also advises other law firms on professional ethics and risk management, and he defends lawyers accused of ethical misconduct or malpractice.
Mr. Burke was selected by the Utah Bar Commission as the Utah Bar’s Lawyer of the Year for 2019. Previously he was recognized in 2012 as the Utah State Bar’s Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year for his service to the public and the legal community. Mr. Burke maintains an AV Preeminent (4.6) rating with Martindale-Hubbell, which is the highest rating awarded to attorneys for professional competence and ethics. He has also been voted by his peers throughout the state as one of Utah’s “Legal Elite,” as published in Utah Business Magazine (2004-2009, 2014-2021).
Mr. Burke has provided representation for some of the state’s largest and fastest-growing companies. In the public sector, he has represented the State of Utah and its Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General. Mr. Burke has also represented educational institutions including the state’s flagship universities, as well as political subdivisions and special districts of the State of Utah. He has represented several municipalities, including service as a city attorney. In 2021, Mr. Burke represented the Utah Independent Redistricting Commission.
Mr. Burke has appeared as an appellate advocate before both administrative and judicial bodies. He has argued before the Utah Supreme Court and represented clients at the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Burke served on the Utah Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee on the Rules of Appellate Procedure for sixteen years and chaired the advisory committee from 2016 to 2021.
Mr. Burke has been involved in a wide variety of community and charitable activities, and frequently contributes columns about legal issues to the Salt Lake Tribune. He has advocated on behalf of military families, religious minorities, immigrants, cyclists, and crime victims. Mr. Burke has also provided pro bono services to community organizations such as the Utah Youth Soccer Association and the United States Soccer Federation. He was inducted into the Utah Youth Soccer Hall of Fame in 2016.
Mr. Burke was honored as a “Utah Hero” for his public advocacy on behalf of Utah’s LGBT citizens. His work defending the rights of an abused lesbian teenager was chronicled in the book “Saving Alex” and the 2019 movie “Trapped: The Alex Cooper Story.”
In his capacity as the Firm’s general counsel, Mr. Burke provides legal advice to the Firm’s management and coordinates the Firm’s legal affairs.
Practice Areas
Education
University of Utah, J.D., 1997
- Received 1997 Outstanding Achievement Award in Trial Advocacy
- William H. Leary Scholar, Fall 1995
College of the Holy Cross, B.A. with Honors, 1993
- History Department Honors
Mansfield College, Oxford University, Visiting Student 1991-92
Affiliations / Memberships
- Utah State Bar, Litigation, Labor & Employment, and Constitutional Law Sections
- Salt Lake County Bar Association
Prior Professional Experience
- Law Clerk, Ray Quinney & Nebeker, 1995-1996
Professional and Civic Activity
- Lawyer of the Year, Utah State Bar, 2019
- Pro Bono Attorney of the Year, Utah State Bar, 2012
- Member, Utah Supreme Court’s Task Force on Justice Court Reform, 2020-present
- Chairman, Utah Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee on the Rules of Appellate Procedure, 2016-2021
- Member, Utah Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee on the Rules of Appellate Procedure, 2005-2016
- Member, Utah Labor Commission’s Employment Advisory Counsel for Antidiscrimination & Labor Division, 2015-present
- Member, Board of Directors, Equality Utah, 2019-present
- Chairman, Professional League Standards Task Force, U.S. Soccer Federation, 2018-present
- Member, Professional League Standards Task Force, U.S. Soccer Federation, 2015-present
- Chairman, Rules Committee, U.S. Soccer Federation, 2006-2018
- Member, Rules Committee, U.S. Soccer Federation, 2005-2018
- Independent Board Member, Utah Soccer Association, 2018-present
- Inductee into Utah Youth Soccer Hall of Fame and Recipient of Kirk Hoecherl Award, 2016
- Utah Hero Award Recipient, 2015 Utah Pride Festival
- Founding Board Member, Utah Democratic Lawyers Council, 2008
- President, Utah Youth Soccer Association, 2003-2005
- Co-Chairman, New Lawyer Education Committee, Utah State Bar, 2003
- Co-Chairman, Five for Our Kids Committee. Led successful campaign for Salt Lake City Proposition No. 5 in November 2003 election to build Salt Lake Regional Athletic Complex.
- Chairman, Protests & Appeals Committee, Utah Youth Soccer Association, 1996-2000
- Chairman, Discipline Committee, Utah Youth Soccer Association, 2000-2001
- Chairman, Rules Committee, Utah Youth Soccer Association, 2008-2009
- School Commission Member, St. Francis Xavier Regional School, 2000-2002
- First Season Ticket Holder, University of Utah Women’s Soccer
Publications / Presentations
- Moderator and Panelist, “Born Perfect: The Journey from Saving Alex to Ban Conversion Therapy in Utah,” National LGBT Bar Association Annual Conference, August 12, 2020.
- Speaker, “My Career (Thus Far) As a Litigator,” J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University, March 12, 2020.
- Panelist, “Church & State: Religion and Politics in Utah,” Bennion Center Service House, University of Utah, February 27, 2020
- Speaker, “Back to the U,” S.J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah, February 13, 2020
- Panelist, “Ending the Fraud: Utilization Consumer Protection Laws to Combat Conversion Therapy,” National LGBT Bar Association Annual Conference, New York City, August 8, 2018
- Panelist, “Saving Alex: Legal Strategies for Ending Conversion Therapy,” National LGBT Bar Association Annual Conference, San Francisco, August 3, 2017
- Moderator, “The New Brief: Appellate Advocacy & the New Rule 24,” Utah State Bar Fall Forum, November 10, 2017
- Litigation Track Faculty Member, “The Deposition: Winning the Battles to Win the War,” Utah State Bar Fall Forum, November 10, 2017
- Litigation Track Faculty Member, “The Payoff: Using Your Deposition at Trial,” Utah State Bar Fall Forum, November 10, 2017
- Presenter, “Saving Alex: A Case Study at the Intersection of Family Law, Sexual Orientation, and Constitutional Law,” Utah State Bar Spring Convention, March 12, 2016
- Panelist, “An Afternoon with the Utah Court of Appeals,” February 10, 2016
- Co-Presenter, “The Eye of the Hurricane: Same-Sex Marriage in Utah,” Utah State Bar, Elder Law Section Seminar, February 20, 2014
- Panelist, “Prop. 8, DOMA & the U.S. Supreme Court,” Salt Lake County Bar Association, April 30, 2013
- Panelist, “Perry & Windsor: A Pro-Con Panel Discussion About Defining Marriage in America,” J. Ruben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University, April 4, 2013
- Presenter, “To Oppose or Not to Oppose: Deciding Whether and How to Challenge Unemployment Applications,” 2013 Salt Lake SHRM Employment Law Seminar
- Co-Presenter, Utah State Bar’s Quarterly Litigation Section Meeting, “Cross-Examination Techniques,” May 3, 2006
- Speaker, Utah State Bar’s Labor & Employment Section Annual Meeting, “Smith v. City of Jackson: The New Frontier in Age Discrimination,” May 25, 2005
- Co-Author, “Strange Clockwork: Evading Liability or Limiting Damages with After-Acquired Evidence,” CUE Legal Alert, January 2005
- Co-Presenter, “An Update of Utah Employment Law,” Corporate Counsel Fall Meeting, Utah State Bar, November 11, 2004
- Moderator, Council on Education in Management’s “Personnel Law Update,” October 27, 2003
- Co-Moderator, Council on Education in Management’s “Personnel Law Update,” October 22, 2002 and May 14, 2003
- Panelist, Utah State Bar’s 2002 Summer Convention, “Security Issues in the Workplace and Beyond,” June 28, 2002
- Co-Moderator, Progressive Discipline, Coaching and Termination Law, Council on Education in Management, February 22-23, 2000
- Speaker, Family and Medical Leave Act in Utah, Lorman Education Services, February 10, 2000
- Co-Moderator, Personnel Law Update Seminar, Council on Education in Management, November 29-30, 1999
- Co-Author, “Settlements: What Do They Settle?” Utah Labor Letter, May 1998
Related News
Admitted to Practice -
Utah State and Federal Courts
Idaho State and Federal Courts
United States Court of Appeal, 10th Circuit
United States Supreme Court
