Biography

Audrey J. Burges

Audrey J. Burges joined Strother Law Offices in 2007. She is admitted to practice in Virginia state courts, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Her practice focuses on general civil litigation, education law (including special education), juvenile advocacy, and land use law. She is a certified guardian ad litem for children in Virginia state courts, appointed to represent the best interests of children. In her capacity as a guardian ad litem, Ms. Burges has served on the City of Richmond Juvenile Drug Court since 2007, where she provides guidance with regard to education law affecting juvenile participants in the program.

As a frequent speaker and advocate with regard to juvenile rights issues, Ms. Burges is committed to the needs of children and families. She actively collaborates with numerous organizations to further public understanding of these topics. In 2009, she was asked to serve on the Commission on Needs of Children for the Virginia Bar Association. Ms. Burges is also an active participant in the Young Lawyers Division of the Virginia Bar Association, for which she serves as an at-large member of the Executive Committee. As chair of the Special Education Committee for the VBA-YLD, Ms. Burges helps to plan and coordinate the annual Robert E. Shepherd, Jr., Juvenile Law and Education Conference, held each May at the University of Richmond School of Law. The VBA-YLD selected Ms. Burges as the 2009 recipient of the Emerson G. Spies Award, an honor which “recognizes an individual member of the YLD for enthusiasm, loyalty and dedication in the work of the Association during a given year.”

Ms. Burges earned her juris doctor cum laude from the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond, where she was selected as a John Marshall Scholar. She served as Manuscripts Editor for the Richmond Journal of Law and Technology, Chair of the Law School Admission Representatives, and Vice President of the Moot Court Board, and was selected as a national member of the The Order of Barristers upon graduation. Prior to law school, Ms. Burges graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in English at Longwood College in Farmville, Virginia, where she attended after relocating from her home state of Arizona.

Presentations and Publications

• Speaker for Legal Issues, The Basics of IDEA: A Primer for Parents of Children in Private Schools, Special Needs Forum: Navigating a Special Needs Life (cosponsored by Northstar Academy and the Jepson School of Leadership Studies), January 29, 2009, University of Richmond, Virginia
• Moderator, Community-Based Intervention: Identifying and Tapping Available Resources, Robert E. Shepherd Juvenile Law and Education Conference, May 15, 2009, University of Richmond School of Law, Richmond, Virginia
• Lead Presenter, What to Expect When You're Expecting Charges: Navigating Juvenile Justice, National Conference of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA), March 7, 2009, Washington, D.C.
• Co-Presenter (with Philip Carter Strother, Esquire), Needing More Than Doing Well: Dramatic Strategies, Objective Success, National Conference of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA), March 7, 2009, Washington, D.C.
• Speaker, On the Same Page: Working Together on Your Child's IEP, First Annual Educational Symposium, "Eyes on Our Youth," November 8, 2008, Chesterfield, Virginia.
• Philip Carter Strother and Audrey J. Burges, Education Law Issues for Juvenile Defense Counsel and GALs for Children: Recent Developments in Special Education Case Law, Virginia CLE (Mar. 2008)
• Audrey J. Burges, Note, Patterson v. Commonwealth: An Illustration of the Legal Complexity of DNA Databases, 9 RICH. J.L. & TECH. 2 (Winter 2002-2003), at http://law.richmond.edu/jolt/v9i2/Note2.html

Awards / Affiliations

• 2009 Recipient of the Emerson G. Spies Award, Virginia Bar Association – Young Lawyers Division
• Member at Large, Executive Committee, Virginia Bar Association – Young Lawyers Division
• Chair, Special Education Handbook Committee, Young Lawyers Division, Virginia Bar Association
• YLD Liaison, VBA Commission on the Needs of Children
• Guardian ad litem representative, Millennium Team / Best Practices Court, Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court for the City of Richmond
• Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA)
• Virginia State Bar
• Virginia Bar Association
• Richmond Bar Association

Education

• J.D., cum laude, T.C. Williams School of Law, University of Richmond, Virginia (John Marshall Scholar), 2004
• B.A., summa cum laude, Longwood College, 2001