In his new position as associate attorney at Torrance-based firm of Artiano Guzman & Toomey LLP, Joseph Burton will be focusing on transactional and environmental matters in corporate law.
“I’ve done government work, private and corporate practice,” he said. “Now, I’m back in the private sector.”
Burton’s most recent position was as general counsel for the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority. He was chief attorney on the ambitious public-private joint venture among the city of Los Angeles and Long Beach ports, Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe to build the 20-mile cargo expressway linking the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles to the rail network in downtown Los Angeles.
“It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for all parties involved. I managed all the legal issues for the project, from finance, contracts, condemnation, and litigation every aspect of the legal world. We were under great time pressure but we were on time and on budget,” he paused, “Believe it or not, we came out ahead of schedule and under budget.”
While Burton was a political science undergrad at UCLA, he played for both the baseball and football team on a full-ride football scholarship. He pushed himself to get top grades because his goal was always admission to the institution’s prestigious law school.
His first job after graduating from UCLA law school in 1971 was with the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, where he worked on misdemeanor cases for three years. He moved on to corporate practice at Texaco Inc.
He’s excited about his new position. “Businesses are constantly looking to improve and expand so they will always need legal assistance. ‘What do lawyers do?’ They get involved in complex transactions or significant disputes their business is in arguments. The objective is not to generate disputes, but to get the job done for your client.”
Burton lives in Rancho Palos Verdes with his wife. They have three adult children. He’s a sports fanatic with a particular love for skiing and in his free time, enjoys watching his favorite teams the Lakers, Dodgers, and Angels.
