John Burke

John Burke is one of the founding attorneys of Thomas Braun Bernard & Burke, LLP, in Rapid City, South Dakota.  During his career, he has focused primarily on cases involving injuries or death due to motor vehicle accidents—including cars, motorcycles, or tractor-trailers—and defective products.  He also handles cases arising from the bad faith handling/denial of claims by insurance companies and disputes between businesses. 

A native of Isabel, South Dakota, Mr. Burke attended Northern State University and obtained his Bachelor of Art’s degree in 1993.  He then attended law school at the University of South Dakota and graduated in 1996 with a Juris Doctor degree.  Having finished in the top 10% of his class, Mr. Burke graduated as a member of the Thomas Sterling Honor Society. 

Mr. Burke is admitted to practice in South Dakota (since 1996), Minnesota (since 1998), and Wyoming (since 2011).  He is also admitted to practice in the United States District Courts for the Districts of South Dakota and Wyoming as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

Known for his diligence and dedication to his profession, Mr. Burke has a peer-review rating of AV Preeminent* from Martindale-Hubbell.  He likewise has a rating of “Excellent” on Avvo and has received significant positive feedback from his clients.

Mr. Burke is an active member of several bar associations, including the State Bar of South Dakota, the South Dakota Trial Lawyers Association, the Minnesota State Bar Association, the Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association, the Wyoming State Bar, and the American Association for Justice.  He presently serves as a member of the Disciplinary Board for the State Bar of South Dakota as well as on the following Bar Committees:  Practice Rules Revision (Chair); Civil Pattern Jury Instructions; and Negligence and Tort Law.

*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies.  Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer-review rating process.  Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary.  Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.