Debbie Burke

337.267.2324

Notable Experience

  • Successfully defended legacy litigation claims as to thousands of acres of property across the state, including claims for damage to soil and ground water, and claims for wetlands mitigation banking credits.
  • Secured back-to-back dismissals in trials on statute of limitations defense on historical legacy site for major oil company.
  • Obtained dismissal of a legacy lawsuit for a major oil company on an onshore oilfield site in the Atchafalaya Basin.
  • Secured cooperative agreements for decommissioning projects at historical oilfield sites, involving coordination with landowners, regulators, and contractors.
  • Handled numerous regulatory matters before LDNR, guiding matters through the environmental remediation process to successful completion, including sites in the orphan well program.
  • Consistently involved in recommending updates and revisions to the law through work with the Louisiana State Law Institute.

Involvement

Professional

  • Louisiana State Law Institute – Executive Committee Member since 2020, Council Member since 2019, and Member of numerous committees since 2008
  • American Inn of Court of Acadiana – Executive Committee Member since 2010, President, 2014-2015
  • Institute for Energy Law Advisory Board – Member
  • Women’s Energy Network – Member
  • The Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law – Member
  • Lafayette Parish Bar Association – Member
  • Louisiana Bar Association – Member
  • American Bar Association – Member
  • Federal Bar Association – Member

Community

  • Louisiana Youth Seminar (LYS), Board of Directors
  • Boy Scouts of America, Volunteer Leader

Recognition

  • Best Lawyers® "Lawyer of the Year," 2020, 2022 and 2024
  • The Best Lawyers in America®, Litigation – Environmental, 2010-2026,  Mass Tort Litigation/ Class Actions – Defendants, Energy Law, Environmental Law, 2012-2026
  • Acadiana Profile “Top Lawyer” 2020, 2023
    • Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions (2020, 2023), Environmental Law (2020)

 

 

 

Credentials

Education

  • Tulane University Law School (magna cum laude, 2001)
    • Order of the Coif
    • Tulane Law Review
    • Trial Advocacy Award
    • Research assistant to Professor A.N. Yiannopoulos
  • Louisiana State University (B.A., cum laude, 1996)

Bar Admissions

  • Louisiana, 2001

Court Admissions

  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District, Louisiana, 2001
  • U.S. District Court, Middle District, Louisiana, 2001
  • U.S. District Court, Western District, Louisiana, 2001

Clerkships

  • Law Clerk to the Honorable Catherine D. Kimball, Associate Justice, Louisiana Supreme Court, 2001-2002

Presentations

  • "Rights of Access for Remediation and Decommissioning Work Following Lease Expiration," LSU's 73rd Mineral Law Institute, March 20, 2026, Baton Rouge, LA
  • “Orphan Wells and Carbon Credits” – May 14, 2024 webinar
  • “Drop In to See What Condition Decommission Is In,” Liskow’s Energy Law Seminar, October 26, 2023, Houston, TX
  • Presentation to the Lafayette Parish Bench Bar Conference: “Writ Applications to the Louisiana Supreme Court,” 2003
  • Guest lecturer, LSU Law School litigation skills class, 2006-2010

Publications

  • Lee, Amy Allums, Site Access After Lease Expiration, 73rd La. Mineral Law Institute, 2026
  • Gray, Patrick W. and Amy A. Lee, Current Issues on Joint Operating Agreements, 55th Mineral Law Institute, 2008
  • McNamara, Thomas M., Patrick W. Gray, and Amy E. Allums, Current Issues in the Scope of the Obligation to Restore Property After Oil & Gas Operations, 56 Center for American and International Law, Institute on Oil and Gas Law, pub. 640, 2005
  • Allums, Amy E., Prytania Park Hotel, Ltd. v. General Star Indemnity Co.: How a Small Hotel Made a Big Difference in the Component Part Concept, 74 Tul. L. Rev. 1543, 2000