The alternative to Big Law.
Sophisticated legal advice doesn’t have to come with sticker shock. With a career spanning twenty years at two global firms, Brian Burke brings all the expertise and gravitas of a Big Law partner without the overhead. It’s a model whose time has come.
Practice Areas
A defining characteristic of the practice is that clients work directly with Brian, a former Senior Partner at Shearman & Sterling LLP and Steptoe LLP, on every assignment. There is no delegation to layers of associates, no team meetings, and no unfamiliar names on the bill. High-touch, low fees, and no surprises.
As a former Senior Partner at two global firms and General Counsel of GSK China, Brian has advised multinationals, boards, and executives through sensitive disputes, investigations, and enforcement actions. He is admitted to practice law in New York and Hong Kong, is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and has worked on matters across the globe. From 2012 to 2016, Brian was based in the Hong Kong office of Shearman & Sterling, where he built and led the firm’s first Asia Litigation Group. He resides in New York City with his wife and two children.
For twenty years, Brian has advised clients of all sizes, from Fortune 500 conglomerates to small family offices, on complex, cross-border assignments. The issues vary widely, but the quality and sophistication of his legal advice does not. It is intended to be practical, proportionate, and consistent with the company’s business objectives.
Approach to Fees
With large firms, a client’s in-house budget is quickly depleted by expensive associates and firm overhead. BLS turns that model on its head: clients work directly, and only, with the senior attorney. Brian assesses the risks, advises on strategy, drafts the brief, leads the investigation, and faces the counterparty, all with virtually no overhead. If a forensic accounting firm or local counsel is required, they are brought in just as they would be with a global firm.
The model is tech-forward, using frontier AI models to streamline busy-work, eliminate inefficiency, and maximize value for clients. Brian also welcomes fixed fees and other alternative fee arrangements that bring transparency and eliminate surprises.
“Truly exceptional.”
“One of the best outside counsels I have ever worked with.”
Perspectives
Asia-Pacific Regulatory Developments: A Mid-2026 Briefing
Managing Data Flows to and from China
Localizing Internal Investigations in Asia-Pacific: Beyond the Western Playbook
The Bosch Settlement: Five Lessons on U.S. Export Controls for Multinationals
Speaking
Brian speaks and moderates regularly on cross-border compliance, investigations, and doing business in China, often alongside in-house counsel and compliance leaders from global companies.
Use Cases for AI and ROI: How Compliance Leaders Are Justifying Investment and Driving Executive Alignment
ACI Global Anti-Corruption, Ethics & Compliance, New York
Moderator, with Wesco, The Estée Lauder Companies, and American Express Global Business Travel
Strengthening Your Culture of Compliance in the Current Enforcement and Economic Environments
ACI Anti-Corruption, Fraud & Global Compliance for Life Sciences (21st Annual), New York
Fireside chat, with Mallinckrodt and Zoetis
Life Sciences Update on Market Access and Operations in China: Compliance Strategies Amid Rising Enforcement
ACI webinar
Moderator, with panelists from Getinge and Cook Medical
Roundtable on China with Ambassador Kurt Tong
Steptoe, New York
Moderator
Roundtable on China with Ambassador Craig Allen
Steptoe, New York
Moderator
The Impact of Exogenous Shocks on China’s Economy
Council on Foreign Relations and Asia Society, New York
Panelist
Life Sciences in China: New Compliance Risks Amid Geopolitical Tensions
ACI webinar
Speaker