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L.A. Superior Court Judge Richard J. Burdge Dies
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Richard J. Burdge has died, it was announced yesterday.
He succumbed on Tuesday. Services are pending.
Burdge, appointed as a judge by then-Gov. Jerry Brown in 2014 at age 64, was president of the Los Angeles County Bar Association in 2012-13—a post held by his wife, Court of Appeal Presiding Justice Lee Edmon of this district’s Div. Three, from 1998-99.
His law degree is from UCLA.
He joined the law firm of Lillick, McHose, and Charles (no longer in existence) in 1979, and became a partner in 1986, moving on to Dewey Ballantine, LLP, then Howrey, LLP, and becoming a sole practitioner in 2011.
In an email to colleagues, Los Angeles Superior Court Presiding Judge Samantha Jessner said yesterday of Burdge and Edmon:
“Dick and Lee had a powerful bond, a shared dedication to the law, justice, and the legal profession, and a mutual love for and embrace of adventure, spending time with friends, and sharing in the lives of their daughters. They met at a law firm where they both practiced. The two of them found joy in the law and developed a vast circle of friends as a result of the time they dedicated to improving the law through work in bar associations and many other groups and committees whose goal was to improve access to justice.”
She noted that Burdge and Edmon “raised four children, Kristin, Lindsay, Maggie, and Kelly,” remarking:
“If you ever spent any time with Dick, you heard about the successes and pursuits of his four wonderful daughters.”
Jessner added:
“Dick had a wonderful sense of humor. He was humble, warm, fiercely loyal, a gentleman, and a devoted husband, father, and friend. While he is gone, he certainly will not be forgotten.”
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