Celebrated Hamptons Attorney Was Drawn to St. John’s School of Law

Edward Burke Jr. ’90L seemed destined for St. John’s University School of Law from his youngest days. The son of a St. John’s Law alumnus, there was little doubt about his future after graduating from Providence College in 1986.

“I believe there was this kind of natural, magnetic force that led me to enroll at St. John’s for law school,” Mr. Burke said. “My sister was two years ahead of me there, and my dad’s picture is proudly displayed in the hallways. My father was very insistent, and I am happy about that.” 

These days, Mr. Burke is among the most respected attorneys on the East End of Long Island. His firm, Edward Burke Jr. and Associates, LLC, located in tony Sag Harbor, NY, has represented an A-list of regional and national celebrities. Mr. Burke opened the firm in a building along Main Street that he bought from legendary musician Jimmy Buffett, a longtime seasonal resident of Sag Harbor who died in September 2023.

Born in Nassau County, Mr. Burke’s family relocated to Sag Harbor in 1972. In 1999, Mr. Burke invested in a Sag Harbor storefront owned by Mr. Buffett. Mr. Burke soon began doing legal work for Mr. Buffett, who eventually sold him the building. It now houses his law firm. 

“I am still very close with the Buffett family and many of my other clients,” he said.

Inspired by his father, Edward Burke Sr. ’69L, who attended St. John’s Law School at night while working a full-time job, Mr. Burke said his legal calling card is a willingness to work long and hard for his clients. His practice is diverse, with concentrations in criminal law, driving while intoxicated cases, negligence, and real estate. In the summer of 2024, he represented pop star Justin Timberlake in a driving-while-ability-impaired action in Sag Harbor.

A former prosecutor in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, he entered private practice in 1996 and opened his firm in 2005. He lives in Sag Harbor with his wife, Patricia. The couple have three sons, one of whom is  attending law school. His sister, Denise Burke O’Brien ’88L, is an attorney in Southampton, NY, working alongside her father and brother, Joseph Burke, at Burke & Sullivan, PLLC.

“My father had a legendary work ethic; he is still practicing today because he loves this profession,” Mr. Burke said. “I think I have inherited that DNA from him. Being a lawyer is a special calling, even more so in criminal work, where people are at their lowest points.”

“You try to help people turn a potential negative into a positive,” Mr. Burke continued. “I love seeing how well some of my former clients' lives have turned out years after their case is done.”

Mr. Burke is active in the Hamptons and the entire East End. He was a force behind the construction of a sports complex on the Southampton Youth Services, Inc. (SYS) property in Southampton, NY, in 2003, and remains a member of its board. SYS serves about 25,000 children and adolescents in the Southampton area, with programs ranging from art to flag football and volleyball. It also offers fitness and squash classes for adults.

“Growing up in the area in the 1970s and ’80s, there was not much for kids to do, especially in the winter months,” Mr. Burke recalled. “I see the magic of how that has grown, and it is near and dear to me.”             

The Burke family’s ties to St. John’s Law extend to Mr. Burke’s nephews. Nolan O’Brien ’20L and Gavin O’Brien ’21L—Ms. O’Brien’s sons—are the family’s third generation of St. John’s-educated attorneys.

“St. John’s was a magical, wonderful experience,” Mr. Burke said. “I love it so.”