Jim Burnley served as the U.S. Secretary of Transportation from 1987 to 1989 and is one of the nation’s foremost authorities on transportation law and policy. He also served as Deputy Secretary of Transportation from 1983 to 1987 and was General Counsel of the Department in 1983. Prior to his years with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Mr. Burnley served as Associate Deputy Attorney General for the Justice Department and as Director of the VISTA Program in the early 1980s.

In his practice, Mr. Burnley represents a wide array of transportation clients. Public policy issues in which he has been engaged include the continuing debate over public-private partnerships; climate change, including cap and trade proposals; the licensing of a privately financed multibillion dollar offshore LNG port; the impact of the volatility in petroleum prices on the airline and trucking industries; and statutory changes to increase trucking productivity.

Mr. Burnley maintains active civic and board affiliations, including several tied to his transportation work. He co-chairs Eno’s NextGen Working Group and served on the Board of Directors of Infrasoft, Inc. and MTA Safety Training Systems. He is a Trustee and former Chairman of the Jamestown Foundation and also a past Chairman of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. He is a member of the Washington Legal Foundation’s Legal Policy Advisory Board.