James Burnley

Jim Burnley focuses his practice on government relations and regulatory and legislative affairs, with a concentration in transportation matters. Mr. 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 USDOT, Mr. Burnley served as Associate Deputy Attorney General for the Justice Department and as Director of the VISTA Program in the early 1980s. Mr. Burnley represents a wide array of transportation clients. Public policy issues in which he is 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; and the impact of the sharp increase in petroleum prices on the airline and trucking industries. Mr. Burnley maintains a visible presence in transportation. He served for five years as Vice Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Virginia Port Authority. He was Chairman of the Port Study Panel of the National Chamber of Commerce Foundation. He is also a member of the Business Advisory Committee of the Transportation Center at Northwestern University. Mr. Burnley is active in national Republican circles. For example, he was the Senior Domestic Policy Advisor to Elizabeth Dole’s presidential campaign. He was also a Senior Advisor to Bob Dole during the 1996 presidential race, and he served on the transportation transition team for the current Bush Administration. Mr. Burnley maintains active civic and corporate board affiliations, including several tied to his transportation work. He served on the Board of Directors of Infrasoft, Inc., which produces software for the engineering industry, andof MTA Safety Training Systems, a company involved in truck driver training, until the recent sales of the companies. He is a Trustee and former Chairman of the Jamestown Foundation and also a past Chairman of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. He is also Chairman of the Roe Institute Advisory Committee of the Heritage Foundation, and a member of the Board of Directors of Freedom Works.