Judge Burns’ Lifelong Case for Compassion
In the late ’80s, two days before his first day of orientation at Suffolk Law, Brian Burns married the love of his life. By the time bar exams rolled around three years later, he and his wife, Elizabeth, were expecting their first child. They studied, worked, and raised a family together—the same way Burns has approached his 25-plus years on the bench: with the partnership and hard work that marked those early years. Burns has maintained a steadfast belief, central to his career, that justice can be both fair and compassionate.
From launching domestic violence intervention programs to creating drug treatment courts with a focus on rehabilitation, the Hon. Brian D. Burns, JD ’91, has built a career defined by the lives transformed along the way.
That commitment was celebrated on June 5, at the Suffolk Law Alumni Dinner, when Associate Justice Tiffanie Ellis Niles, JD '04, of the Massachusetts Juvenile Court introduced Judge Burns as the first Suffolk Law recipient of the SAM's Fund for Public Service Prize. The $5,000 award honors alumni who devote their careers to ensuring the law serves not only the powerful, but the vulnerable, the forgotten, and the underserved. Recipients use the prize money toward charitable or other public service efforts.
The fund was established by the late Sandy Matava, MPA '81—longtime director of Suffolk’s Moakley Center for Public Management, and a revered mentor to a generation of civic and community leaders—and her partner, William “Bill” Brouillard, JD ’75. The fund, which encourages and recognizes the importance of serving in the public and nonprofit sectors, bears Sandy’s initials.
Burns embodies the vision Sandy and Bill had for the prize. Serving as a New York State Supreme Court justice and a judge for more than 25 years, he has earned a reputation for fairness, courage, and compassion. He helped establish the Otsego County Violence Intervention Program to support domestic violence victims and break cycles of family trauma and played a leading role in launching drug treatment courts that focus on recovery and accountability. His work on the New York State Family Violence Task Force and his public advocacy have highlighted the link between domestic violence, substance abuse, and child neglect, especially in rural communities with scarce resources but urgent needs.
Beyond the courtroom, Burns has served on the boards of numerous community organizations, including the YMCA, Fox Hospital, hospice programs, and the Boys and Girls Club. His colleagues describe him as a leader whose empathy and integrity inspire trust from both the bench and the community.
Accepting the award, Burns downplayed the notion that his record was unusual. “I don’t think I should be honored for doing the things that were described, because that should be what we do,” he said. “That shouldn’t be special or extraordinary — it should just be part of what we all do. “Suffolk inspires public service,” he added. “It teaches a commitment to your community.”
To support the SAM's Fund for Public Service, please visit our Give page and under designation type: "SAM's Fund for Public Service."