A Portsmouth attorney who has represented a range of right-wing activists in New Hampshire has been temporarily suspended from practicing law after allegedly stealing a client’s money.
In late December, the New Hampshire Supreme Court approved the suspension of Christopher R. Burns’ law license. He’s accused of spending a $3,000 retainer received from a client in a case involving a construction project, without performing any meaningful legal work on the client’s behalf. He’s also accused of lying to a different client after agreeing to help settle an estate.
Investigators for the New Hampshire Judicial Branch allege that Burns then misled the state’s Professional Conduct Committee about his conduct. “Attorney Burns lied to the committee and showed no remorse,” the committee said in its legal filing.
Burns did not respond to a request for comment from NHPR on his suspension or the accusations he misspent client money. He will have the opportunity to appeal his suspension.
In 2024, Burns was the lead counsel in a federal civil lawsuit filed against former Gov. Chris Sununu and the New Hampshire State Police, alleging they violated the first amendment rights of protestors. The case stemmed from the arrest of nine people following the disruption of an October 2021 Executive Council meeting where officials were set to discuss a $27 million federal grant related to COVID-19 vaccines.
Criminal charges against the nine defendants were ultimately dropped. The civil suit Burns filed against Sununu remains active in federal court, though it isn’t clear who may now represent the plaintiffs with Burns’ suspension from practicing law.
In a different case, Burns filed a lawsuit on behalf of a Windham woman who alleged a Dallas-based documentarian she hired to produce a film about purported election fraud in New Hampshire failed to fulfill the terms of the deal, even after receiving $30,000 in payment.
According to his website, Burns has been an attorney in New Hampshire for nearly 25 years. He advertises his legal services as having “fearless advocacy” and “boundless integrity,” and touts representing clients involved in the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol.
Burns was also admitted to practice law in Louisiana, but has been suspended in that state for failure to set up an appropriate trust for handling client money.
His non-political legal work involves some local land disputes, as well as a dispute over a construction job in the town of Greenland.
In December 2024, a former client sued Burns in state court alleging “gross and wanton misconduct” for squandering a $3,000 retainer in a dispute involving a construction company. The former client alleged that Burns misled him about the work he was performing on the case, and fraudulently signed a legal document in his name.
He is also accused of taking a $1,200 retainer to help settle an estate for a different client, but performing no work.
Last month, Burns appeared before the Professional Conduct Committee, where he disputed the allegations against him. According to the committee’s written opinion, “Attorney Burns maintained that he had proof that those facts were incorrect – proof that he had never shared with the Attorney Discipline Office nor sought leave to present in any forum of the attorney discipline process.”
“Disbarment is the appropriate sanction,” the committee concluded.
