Hugh Burns has been advising clients on their most significant communications issues for over twenty-five years. He has extensive experience with financial transactions, shareholder activism, crisis and reputational issues, litigation support, restructurings, earnings issues and executive changes. Hugh also has managed many long-term corporate positioning and investor relations programs.

Representative client engagements include:

• The merger of SPARC and JCPenney to form Catalyst Brands;
• First Republic’s Executive Chairman on issues relating to the bank’s FDIC’s receivership;
• A leading DeFi company in its repose to potential SEC charges;
• Chesapeake Utilities on its acquisition of Florida City Gas;
• Haveli Investments on its strategic partnership with Apollo and its software and gaming investments;
• Confidential support on DOJ and civil opioid litigation for multiple clients;
• Tinder co-founders in their lawsuit and $441 million settlement with Match Group; and
• Chapter 11 proceedings for 23andMe, Forever 21, Gulfport Energy, Chesapeake Energy, Payless ShoeSource and Bristow Group.

Before co-founding Reevemark, Hugh was a senior Partner at Sard Verbinnen & Co. (now FGS), the firm’s General Counsel and a member of its Executive Management Committee. Hugh began his career as a litigator, practicing at both Sullivan & Cromwell and at Latham & Watkins.

Hugh was selected as one of Lawdragon’s Global 100 Leaders in Legal Strategy & Consulting from 2021-2024 and ranked by Chambers and Partners in 2022 and 2023 as a leader in the area of litigation support communications.

Hugh received an A.B. from Princeton University and a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law, where he graduated cum laude, Order of the Coif and edited the Fordham Law Review.