Black Lung Clinic Wins Case in Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Annelise Burgess '25L argued the case as a student attorney in the clinic.

By Law Communications
August 13, 2025

As reported in April, 2025 graduate Annelise Burgess argued a case in March before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. In June, the Court ruled in favor of her client.

Burgess appeared before the Court as a student attorney in W&L’s Black Lung Clinic. The clinic represents coal miners diagnosed with pneumoconiosis, also known as black lung disease, in their pursuit of benefits from the coal companies they worked for. Cases in the clinic typically take many years to resolve, and Burgess’ case representing the spouse of a deceased miner was no exception, having been in the clinic’s hands since 2018.

A number of criteria must be satisfied before the various deliberative bodies involved in a Black Lung claim will award benefits. In this case, the Administrative Law Judge had ruled that the Clinic had not proved that the miner suffered total disability due to Black Lung disease. This decision was affirmed by the Benefits Review Board and then appealed to the Fourth Circuit by the Clinic.

Burgess, who graduated cum laude in May, received the Randall P. Bezanson Award for outstanding contributions to diversity in the life of the Law School community. Her legal career will begin as a JAG officer for the U.S. Army. You can read more about the case and Carter in our earlier story.

Third-Year Law Student Argues Black Lung Benefits Case Before Fourth Circuit

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