Susan Burke: Justice First
Written by: Nicole Black
It's about a greater good
For Susan Burke, the decision to take a case revolves not around compensation but instead centers on the case's social merit. According to Susan, the more influence a case has, the better: "I want to win a case for the victims but also want to change the American public's views. I want people to say: 'It's not okay for this to be happening.'"
That's why her firm handles the tough cases, the politically-charged cases, the cases everyone talks about. From the Abu Ghraib case, where her firm represents torture victims to the recently filed military rape cases brought on behalf of sexual assault victims who served in our armed forces - her firm tackles the issues head on and fights for change.
She explains, "I take on cases that other lawyers won't touch because there isn't compensation. There are a lot of excellent lawyers out there helping a lot of people and I'm drawn to the cases where no one will help them because it's a tough case." At the end of the day-it's about making a difference and having the greatest impact possible.
Compensation is a balancing act
Of course, she has to make a living, and every case that her firm handles is important. But, for Susan, social justice trumps income potential. If the case has far reaching implications, compensation is a secondary concern: "I don't necessarily map out in advance whether or not I'll be able to recover anything. Sometimes, you just don't know how it will turn out - whether you will prevail or not - but we get by. I just have lower expectations in terms of compensation. I certainly have other cases where I think there will be compensation - but I don't limit my practice to only cases where there is money. I try to take on a mix."
The art of raising awareness
One of the best ways to effect change is to increase public awareness about a cause. However, lawsuits, which can sometimes languish in the court system for years, aren't always the best way to do this. Susan is well aware of this fact and isn't afraid to think outside the box when trying to focus immediate attention on the injustices suffered by her clients.
Rosemary Healy, an attorney and long time friend of Susan's whom she first met in law school, describes how Susan has used art to focus attention on her cases:
"Susan - she is truly a one-of-a-kind lawyer. She's willing to take chances, professionally and personally, and push the envelope. An incredible example is how she was willing to bring artists into the work she did with the Iraqi victims."
Susan has worked with a number of artists in the past, allowing them access to her clients and working with the artists to help champion her client's cause. She explains her inspiration for this unusual, but highly effective tactic: "I got the idea to use artists for my cases from Amnesty International - where they use beautiful photography to try to bring home to people the sense of human dignity. People like Daniel Heyman bring public awareness to the issues in a way that's more accessible than a lawsuit. That's why the artists are such an important part of the equation."
According to Heyman, the artist who created the moving portraits of the Iraqi detainees represented by Susan's firm, working with Susan and her clients was a once in a lifetime opportunity: "She invited me to Iraq to visit the detainees. Artists dont get that kind of invitation very often, if ever. Lawyers don't want artists around, but Susan was very enthusiastic about giving me access and letting me hear these people and what they had to say for themselves...and, through (my) work, giving them a platform to speak."
Small firm and innovation, by choice
Susan started her legal career in large firms. But over time, as her focus shifted to human rights cases, she found that a large firm setting wasn't compatible with her practice: "The type of work I did, didnt lend itself to a large firm setting. I was always happy at a big firm...but the type of cases just became impossible to do in the setting I was in."
So, in 2005 she left her position as an equity partner at the Philadelphia law firm Montgomery McCracken, Walker and Rhoads to forge a new path. She founded her own law firm, Burke PLLC, and has never looked back.
Not surprisingly, her innovative approach to the practice of law extends to the way she runs her law firm. She has no problem allowing her associates to work remotely - in fact, one lives out of state. And, she recognizes and takes advantage of the talent of women attorneys whose careers have been side-tracked by parenting: "I dont think that legal talent is isolated in any one setting. I know (women) who have incredible legal minds, who just took time off to take care of kids. (These) women want to work part-time and have energy and intellect."
Leaving a legacy
It's obvious that Susan dances to the beat of her own drum. She is driven by an intrinsic motivation to change the world for the better, and she does it on her own terms and in her own way.
Heyman describes her as a "real hero," explaining, "she doesnt work out of a norm, she changes the norm...She gives people who have been harmed legitimacy in their own minds that what happened to them was wrong...And, they have someone like Susan who is saying this is wrong, its inhumane, and Im going to fight for you."
Why does she do it? According to Susan, it's because she wants to make the world a better place: "I have 3 kids, a wonderful husband. A lot of the reason I do the work I do is because I care for my family. I want the world to be better, so I make it my business to do just that."
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This photograph of Susan Burke was taken by Mike Carroll in Washington, D.C.
