Jason Burks received his Bachelor's degree in International Studies from the University of Missouri in 1996 and his law degree at the University of Hawaii's William S. Richardson School of Law in 1999.  After graduation, Jason served as a law clerk to the Honorable Victoria S. Marks in the First Circuit Court of the State of Hawaii. 

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In 2000, Jason accepted a position as a Deputy Public Defender for the State of Hawaii and began his legal career working in the Public Defender’s Hilo office.  Jason transferred to the Honolulu office in 2003 and remained there until 2011.  During his eleven-year career with the Public Defender’s office, he represented indigent criminal defendants in the District, Family and Circuit Courts of Hawaii.  The last six years Jason spent almost exclusively in the Circuit Court representing defendants charged with the most serious of felony offenses. 

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One huge advantage of Jason's years at the Public Defender's office is that he has represented Defendants charged with virtually every criminal offense in Hawaii, from traffic and misdemeanor  cases to serious felonies, such as theft, burglary, robbery, internet and white collar crimes, drug trafficking, assault, sexual assault and murder. Experience you cannot get from many other offices. Jason is a member of the National and Hawaii Associations of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL and HACDL). In addition, he has presented lectures dealing with attorney ethics issues at the annual HACDL Criminal Defense Seminar in Las Vegas, NV.