Mr. Burbage commenced his legal education in 1977 when he received a Rotary International Scholarship to study law at Ruhr University at Bochum, West Germany under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Dres. h.c. Marcus Lutter.

In 1978, he returned to the United States and attended the University of Georgia School of Law. He graduated magna cum laude and Order of the Coif from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1981. During his second year in law school, Mr. Burbage was one of the few law students to be both a member of the Georgia Law Review and moot court. In his senior year, Mr. Burbage was selected to the managing board of the law review. He also continued his moot court activities, winning the prestigious Talmadge Moot Court Competition.