Donald E. Burns

I am a recovered lawyer, a graduate of Yale Law School who has found religion and forsaken the law. It is a jealous mistress, I am told, but I hope I will not have the pay the penalty. I am now Chairman of Millennium Financial Advisory Group, a Los Angeles-based investment banking and financial advisory firm specializing in homeland security, biotech, financial services and infrastructure, including energy, water and transportation issues.

Earlier in my career, I was the first General Counsel of Freddie Mac, formed over 15 banks and handled over 40 merger/acquisition transactions and over $1.5 billion in financing transactions. I also served as Secretary of the California Business & Transportation Agency (now called Business, Transportation and Housing) under former Governor Jerry Brown. While in that position, I was the lead on the creation of the California Housing Finance Agency, and was the principal negotiator and spokesman regarding what became MICRA, the medical malpractice reform law that is now being pushed as a model (for good or ill) by the Bush Administration. I later served as President of the California Council on Environmental and Economic Balance. I am now a resident of Beverly Hills, closer to the Dodgers than San Francisco.