Justin Timberlake has been battling a sea of negative headlines after he was arrested last week for allegedly drug driving in the Hamptons amid his world tour. But the “Cry Me a River” singer may have put one foot right by hiring a local powerhouse attorney to the stars who has handled some similarly high-profile cases.
Edward Burke Jr. is a Hamptons attorney who has previously represented Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, disgraced former Today Show host Matt Lauer, publicist Lizzie Grubman, and other famous clients. The son of a former state Supreme Court judge, Burke was a Suffolk County prosecutor before becoming a criminal defense attorney and a household name among legal types in the ritzy Long Island enclave.
“In addition to being my lawyer, he was my confidant, my friend, and my psychiatrist,” Grubman, a New York “it” girl who spent 38 days in jail in 2022 after backing up her father’s SUV into a crowd outside a Hamptons nightclub, told The New York Times in 2004. “When I was crying in the middle of the night, and that was probably almost every night since the accident, Eddie was the one I called.”
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(Grubman, Kidd, and Lauer did not respond to a request for comment.)
Burke is used to handling celebrities’ sticky situations. After seven years as D.A., which included a conviction for a rapist in one of the longest trials in Suffolk County history, he transitioned to private law in 1996 and quickly took on some big-name clients, including Daniel Pelosi, who was accused of killing an investment banker who was having an affair with his wife.
In July 2001, he received a late-night call after Grubman injured 16 people when a security guard at the Conscious Point Inn asked her to move her car from a fire lane. The Manhattan publicist, whose client list once boasted Britney Spears and Jay Z, told The Times in 2004 that she went with Burke because he came highly recommended and she “wanted someone local.”
“The press was camped outside,” Burke said. “They called my home at all hours. Larry King wanted me on his show. Geraldo Rivera, too. It was unbelievable.”
Grubman was later charged with 26 counts, including second-degree assault, and ultimately pleaded guilty.
Since then, Burke has gone on to nab other high-profile clients. In 2013, Burke represented Kidd when he admitted to smashing his Cadillac SUV into a Southampton utility pole after “three or four” tequilas. Kidd pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge and was placed on interim probation and ordered to speak at a local high school about drunk driving.
Burke has also represented Lauer in several legal issues and was reportedly a close confidante of the disgraced news anchor amid his ouster from NBC over sexual misconduct allegations. Among them was a battle Lauer had with his neighbors over trees.
Last week, Burke accompanied Timberlake to his Tuesday morning arraignment in Sag Harbor, where he was charged with one count of driving while intoxicated and two other traffic violations. Burke did not respond to The Daily Beast’s request for comment, but his office told the New York Post last week that he “looks forward to vigorously defending Mr. Timberlake against these allegations.”
“He will have a lot to say at the appropriate time. He is currently awaiting full discovery from the DA’s office,” his law firm added.
Authorities say Timberlake, 43, was pulled over in the early hours after failing to stop his 2025 BMW at a stop sign following a night out at the American Hotel. He was pulled over twice that night by the same cop, who reportedly did not recognize Timberlake. The singer, who tried to explain that he only had “one martini,” was held for nine hours in jail.
“His eyes were bloodshot and glassy, a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was emanating from his breath, he was unable to divide attention, he had slowed speech, he was unsteady afoot, and he performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests,” the arrest report stated.
