Feb 26, 2021
When Courtney Burdette was appointed the first black female General Counsel at LDEQ in 2020, she knew she had some big shoes to fill. Her predecessor as General Counsel, Herman Robinson, had served the agency 35 years. When Robinson retired, Burdette stepped up to meet the challenge
Burdette, a Baton Rouge native, has a history of attorneys in her family. Both of her parents are attorneys, as well as her father’s brother. Her mom was a judge who recently retired in December after being on the bench for approximately 25 years. Her dad was a city prosecutor and worked with the parish attorney’s office. Today, he still works in his private practice.
But believe it or not, law school wasn’t her first choice. Before law school factored into the equation, Burdette was an English major with plans to become an English professor. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English at Howard University in Washington, D.C. However, she found herself becoming homesick. She couldn’t deny the call of Louisiana’s southern charm and the promise of having her parents present in the lives of her children, Carter and Payton. So she moved back home, and a scholarship to Louisiana State University’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center solidified her path to a career in law.
She earned her juris doctorate degree from LSU just as her mother, father and uncle had before her. Following her law school graduation, she served as a law clerk to two federal judges, Hon. Ralph Tyson and Hon. Brian Jackson of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.
Burdette was later employed as an attorney with the Louisiana Board of Ethics. She provided ethics training to elected officials, members of boards and commissions and other public employees throughout the state. Before coming to LDEQ, Burdette also served as an Assistant Attorney General with the Louisiana Department of Justice in the Litigation Division, General Liability Section, where she defended the state of Louisiana in a variety of tort cases. Burdette joined the Legal team at LDEQ in January 2014 and brought a wealth of varied experience to the role of chief legal advisor for the department.
“My parents always had high standards for me, and I think that played an important role in my getting to where I am today. They instilled the importance of always being the best that you can. I preach to my attorneys all the time that being a government attorney is no less than a private practice attorney. No matter where you find your office, you are an attorney when you step into the courtroom,” Burdette said.
“There is that saying ‘good enough for government work.’ I don’t believe in that. I believe in good work regardless of where you work or who you work for. I think we should always hold ourselves to the highest standards possible,” she stated. She expects the same from her staff. However, she acknowledges that people do and will make mistakes, and allowances for those mistakes are necessary.
Mistakes allow for growth. Something Burdette realizes is critical in any role. “We have to allow people to grow, and I know this is a role I’m going to have to grow into. I have big shoes to fill. Herman Robinson filled this role for 36 years prior to me. So I know I have growing to do, but I’m committed to the job. I’m committed to doing a good job, and I want to be surrounded by people that feel the say way as me - who take it as seriously as I do,” Burdette said.
When asked if she feels her race has presented obstacles for her in her line of work, Burdette responded, “Do I think racism still exists? Absolutely. Is it as overt as it was for my parent’s generation? No. But I do think it exists in more subtle ways today.” “My parents grew up in the civil rights era,” Burdette recalls. “My mom integrated her high school; she was one of the first African-Americans to attend there. I know it was no easy feat to do that. Or to overcome obstacles put into place to prevent voting as my grandparents experienced. But I am grateful to my parents and their parents’ generation for making the sacrifices and overcoming the challenges they faced to give me the freedoms and opportunities I have today. I realize without them, I wouldn’t be where I am now. I’m definitely standing on their shoulders to say that I am here.”
Regarding obstacles her gender has presented in her law career, she responded, “Certainly, but not just being a woman. Beginning my law career at 25, I also saw challenges my age presented when dealing with people significantly older. Gender, age and race can present difficulties, but I think that you prove yourself day to day with your confidence, professionalism, and knowledge of the subject matter. Respect is earned. Once you earn your respect, man, woman, white or black, it’s yours – no one can take it away from you.”
At the end of the day, Burdette feels we should all strive to be our best and put our best foot forward in all that we do. It is a characteristic instilled in her from a very early age and one she hopes she will always carry with her in the way she relates to others and the way that she performs on the job.