Victor Burnette

Special Counsel / Houston

P: 713.588.0446

Victor Burnette has been practicing law for more than 11 years, and as Special Counsel at SBSB Eastham, handles matters related to the Defense Base Act and Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act. He also has experience dealing with matters concerning the Non-Appropriated Funds Instrumentalities Act and the War Hazards Compensation Act. Victor previously served as in-house counsel for AIG, one of the world’s largest insurance companies. That experience gave him unique insight into the insurance business and the goals those businesses are trying to reach. Simply put, he knows how to help them.

For Victor, each case is unique, and that’s how he approaches them. Surface-level similarities are no reason for him not to dig into and understand each detail as he puts together a legal strategy. For him, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to the law. When he sits down with a client to discuss what steps to take next, he’s working to solve their unique issues. Victor is a tenacious advocate and outside-the-box thinker who firmly believes there are very few problems hard work can’t fix.

Outside the office, Victor enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids. He’s also an avid guitar player, even building them in his spare time. Victor is a citizen of the United States and Luxembourg.

Practice Areas

Practice Areas

  • Admiralty and Maritime
  • Defense Base Act
  • Federal Workers’ Compensation
  • Insurance
  • Labor and Employment
  • Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation

Education

  • J.D., South Texas College of Law Houston, 2011
  • B.A., The University of Texas at Austin, 2004

Court Admissions

  • State Bar of Texas
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas

Representative Cases

  • Annette Horton vs. Fluor Federal Global Projects, Inc. and Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania, BRB No. 19-0118 (May 8, 2019).
  • Aggrey Taremwa vs. Reed International and Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania, 2020-LDA-00644 (August 17, 2020).
  • Van Guaraggi vs. Puckett Machinery and Zurich American Insurance Company, 2016-LHC-00104 (May 18, 2018). [Second Chair].
  • Everett Watson vs. Service Employees International, Inc. and Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania, 2015-LDA-00768 (April 12, 2016). [Second Chair].
  • Gina Spencer vs. Service Employees International Inc., 2013-LDA-00044 (August 27, 2014). [Second Chair].

Classes and Seminars

  • Using Social Media Investigations in Insurance Defense Claims, AIG Internal Training
  • Defense Base Act and WHCA Primer, AIG Internal Training