About me
Casey Burke, Esq. is the Executive Director of CLIMB, or Charlotte Legal Initiative to Mobilize Businesses, Inc.
Casey is passionate about bringing the legal community together to address systemic inequalities and effect long term change. In Charlotte, access to legal services can be the key to a small business’s success and sustainability, yet legal services are financially unattainable for many. This is especially true for historically marginalized small business owners living and working in underserved areas, who often are left with no choice but to build their businesses without any input from an attorney, leaving them vulnerable and more likely to struggle to succeed. CLIMB provides a way for traditionally marginalized entrepreneurs to overcome access to justice barriers in order to create thriving, sustainable, and vibrant businesses within a more equitable community.
Casey earned her Juris Doctorate from Northeastern University School of Law in 2008, and her Bachelor's Degree from the University of Virginia in 2002. She spent over a decade as a criminal defense attorney, primarily in the Bronx, New York, which was critical in shaping her views on social justice issues, particularly issues of racial inequity in the legal system. Prior to joining CLIMB, she ran the Pro Bono Unit of Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, a civil legal services organization in Charlotte, NC.
