About Annette

COVID Update:

You can schedule telephonic or Zoom consultations with Annette Burns by calling 602-230-9118. 
In-person or Zoom consultations are available.

Practice Areas and Certification:

Annette Burns has practiced law in Arizona since 1984. She specializes in the practice of family law, and focuses on acting as mediator, arbitrator, Family Law Master and Parenting Coordinator in family law cases. Her background and experience includes 30+ years of client representation in divorces, property valuations and divisions, and actions involving spousal maintenance, child custody and parenting time, paternity, and child support. She is A-V rated by Martindale-Hubbell. In 1994 she was certified as a Family Law Specialist by the State Bar and continues to be so certified. In 2017, the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Arizona awarded Annette a Lifetime Achievement Award for her work in family law.

Annette is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), a national organization composed of the nation’s top attorneys who are experts in the field of matrimonial law, including divorce, prenuptial agreements, legal separation, annulment, custody, property valuation, support and the rights of unmarried cohabitors.

Annette has been named a SuperLawyer each year from 2007-2021, including inclusion as Top 25 Women Arizona Superlawyers in 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020, and 2021, and the Top 50 Arizona Superlawyers in 2008, 2009, 2020 and 2021.  She was named to AZ Business magazine’s Top 100 Arizona Lawyers in 2015 and 2020.   The Super Lawyers list is issued by Thomson Reuters.   A description of the SuperLawyers selection methodology can be found here.

Memberships & Associations:

Annette is a past President of the Board of Directors of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), an international organization devoted to the interests of children and family issues. She served as President of the international organization in 2017-18, President of the Arizona Chapter of AFCC in 2002-03, and was a board member of the Arizona chapter of AFCC until 2011.

Annette previously served as a Judge pro tem in Maricopa County Superior Court, Arizona.    Starting in 2003, she served on the Arizona Supreme Court committee that was writing the original Arizona Rules of Family Law Procedure.   That Committee created the original Arizona Rules of Family Law Procedure.   She was a member of the Arizona Supreme Court’s Task Force on Restyling the Family Law Rules, which reviewed and revised those rules throughout 2017 and 2018 with new rules effective January 1, 2019.

She was a member of the State Bar of Arizona Family Law Section Executive Council from 1994-2005, and was Chairperson of the Family Law Section of the State Bar in 1999-2000.  She is currently a member of the State Bar of Arizona’s Family Law Advisory Commission which reviews and oversees the certification of specialists in Family Law.

Ms. Burns lectures frequently for the State Bar of Arizona, AFCCAAML, and other organizations on various issues in family law.  She is a co-author of the Arizona Family Law Rules Handbook which is updated annually.  She has a particular interest in family law communications, including on-line and social media issues involving family law.   Here’s Annette’s 2011 article  “Your Online Presence“, written for the State Bar of Arizona Family Law Section newsletter.

Education:

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LAW, J.D. 1984

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, Champaign-Urbana, B.A., 1981

Publications and articles:

Annette writes extensively for various publications, including Thomson/ Reuters, UnhookedMedia, the American Bar Association, AFCC, Family Court Review, State Bar of Arizona, and Maricopa County Bar publications.  A few of Annette’s recent articles and publications are:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/fcre.12509   Sullivan, Matthew, and A. Burns, Effective Use of Parenting Coordination:  Considerations for Legal and Mental Health Professionals, Family Court Review, Volume 58, Issue 3, pages 730-746, July 2020

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/fcre.12419   Salem, Peter, and A. Burns, Guiding Principles for Family Justice Programs, Family Court Review, Volume 57, Issue 3, pages 434-439, July 2019

BIFF for CoParent Communication:  Your Guide to Difficult Texts, Emails, and Social Media Posts, November 2020; Eddy, Bill, A. Burns, and K. Chafin

Arizona Family Law Rules Handbook, published annually by Thomson Reuters

Unified Family Court Connection, University of Baltimore Law School, Fall 2020, Coronavirus Redefines Family Law

State Bar of Arizona Family Law News, Spring 2020 (Covid-19 Special  Edition)

Speaking:

Annette speaks extensively at Continuing Legal Education and related engagements, and a few of her recent speaking occasions are:

August 2020, Effective use of Parenting Coordination:  Considerations for Legal and Mental Health Professionals, with Matthew Sullivan, Ph.D., presented by AFCC (online recorded webinar available to AFCC members only)

April 2020, Co-Parenting and Parenting Plans in a Tough Environment:  Giving Guidance When it’s in Short Supply, with the Hon. Gerri Wong, Ontario Court of Justice, Canada, presented by AFCC and Soberlink

April 2020, Parenting and COVID, with David Weinstock, Ph.D., webinar presented by Maricopa County Bar Association

February 2020, Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) Basics, a panel presentation for Judges pro tem, Maricopa County, Arizona

CONTACT ANNETTE FOR A CONSULTATION

ABOUT MEDIATION, PARENTING COORDINATION, OR PRIVATE REPRESENTATION IN A FAMILY LAW MATTER