Brian D. Burack

Member

Brian is a dynamic and successful litigator with substantial first-chair trial and appellate experience. He focuses his practice on complex life insurance and financial services disputes. Brian helps his clients to prosecute and combat the fraudulent creation of life insurance policies that lacked insurable interest at inception — often referred to as stranger-originated life insurance or STOLI. These fraudulent policies violate the law and public policy of most states, and Brian has been successful in helping his clients secure favorable rulings that such policies are invalid. Brian also represents the families of insureds who were the subject of (and often the victims of) these investor-run STOLI schemes.

Prior to joining the firm, Brian spent eight years as an assistant district attorney in Chester County, Pennsylvania. As a prosecutor, Brian tried over 20 jury trials to verdict, including several first-degree murder cases, violent assaults, and a high profile corruption case involving a public school superintendent, for which Brian was awarded with the ADL Beau Biden Shield Award — presented by then-former Vice President Joseph Biden. Brian also developed significant skills and experience as the supervising attorney of the Chester County Investigating and Indicting Grand Jury.

Brian earned his bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from The George Washington University and his law degree, magna cum laude, from Temple University Beasley School of Law. In law school, Brian was a staff member for Temple Law Review, a member of Temple’s Moot Court Honor Society, and a member of Temple’s National Trial Team. In 2009, Brian was named champion of Temple’s school-wide moot court competition. In 2010, Brian advanced to the national finals of the National Trial Competition (in Texas) as well as the National Moot Court Competition (in New York). After law school, Brian returned to Temple where he taught trial advocacy as an adjunct professor.

Experience

News

Best Lawyers Honors More Than 200 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys to its Best Lawyers in America 2024 Edition

August 17, 2023

Best Lawyers selected 232 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 24 of the firm’s U.S. offices for inclusion in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

More Than 205 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named Best Lawyers and Ones to Watch By The Best Lawyers In America

August 19, 2021

Best Lawyers selected 210 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 23 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Cozen O’Connor Promotes 15 Attorneys to Member

March 25, 2021

Cozen O'Connor promoted 15 attorneys to member: Donnie Apodaca, Brian Burack, Jason Cabrera, Kristina Cherevas, Jonathan Gale, Matthew Glavin, Yehudah Gordon, Max Kaplan, Jason Kreps, Anna Will Kentz, Daniel Levine, Peter Lim, Matthew Policastro Laura Reinhart, and Danielle Sapega.

200 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named Best Lawyers and Ones to Watch By The Best Lawyers In America

August 20, 2020

Best Lawyers selected 200 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 23 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2021 edition of The Best Lawyers in America© (Copyright 2020 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, SC).

Industry Sectors

Education

  • Temple University School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude, 2011
  • The George Washington University, B.A., magna cum laude, 2008

Awards & Honors

Anti-Defamation League Beau Biden Shield Award Winner, 2017

  • New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
  • U.S. District Court -- Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court -- New Jersey