Debbie Burke

337.267.2324

Notable Experience

  • 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

  • "Current Issues Affecting Legacy E&P Sites," LAPL's 2026 Spring Seminar, May 4, 2026, Lafayette, LA
  • "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