Julia Burke

Julia Burke is the First Assistant Public Defender in Blair County.  She has served as a Public Defender in Blair County for a decade, where she tries all manner of criminal cases, handles appeals, and trains new attorneys.  A champion for those with mental health issues, she helped develop the curriculum for the Crisis Intervention Training program for Blair County law enforcement.  Before joining the Blair County Public Defenders, she was in private practice in New York, and worked as an intern for the New York County Legal Aid Society.

Julia graduated from New York Law School in 2010, following her undergraduate degree from Penn State.  Julia has previously served as PDAP’s Treasurer, and Assistant Treasurer.  She won PDAP’s President’s award in 2016. 

Julia is a member of the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (PACDL) and served on the Blair County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division.  In 2023 she served on the faculty of the Villanova Sentencing Workshop, arguing on behalf of the defense.  The Workshop is held in conjunction with Villanova Law School, the Pennsylvania Sentencing Commission and the Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts.