Ann Burke studied at University College, Dublin, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree. The institution traces its origins to the Catholic University of Ireland, founded in 1854, and became a constituent college of the National University of Ireland in 1908. Its Bachelor of Arts programme provided a broad arts education in the Irish university tradition that preceded her entry into legal practice.
Ann Burke was admitted to the bar in 1957, the formal qualification that permits a lawyer to practise law. She subsequently worked as a partner of Solicitors.