Paul Burns appointed Civil Circuit Judge

July 28, 2022

The Queen has appointed Paul Burns to be a Civil Circuit Judge on the advice of the Lord Chancellor, The Right Honourable Dominic Raab MP, and the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, the Right Honourable The Lord Burnett of Maldon. The appointment takes effect from 1 August 2022.

Paul joined Exchange Chambers in 1998 and has been Head of Local Government & Social Housing at Chambers, and a member of the Management Board, since 2010. He has been consistently recommended as a leading Barrister in the fields of local government and social housing law. Paul was appointed a Legally Qualified Chair of Police Misconduct Panels in 2016, a Legally Qualified Chair at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in 2017 and a Recorder in 2019.

Commenting on the appointment, Bill Braithwaite KC, Head of Exchange Chambers said:

“I’ve known Paul all his working life, and I cannot speak highly enough about him. He has been a wonderful member of Exchange Chambers, and we, and particularly I, will miss him very much. He has sat on our Management Board for many years, and has brought to it not only his judgment and his ability to challenge, but also his knowledge and experience of the wider world of commerce, gained by his experience on outside corporate boards. He was hugely helpful and instrumental in relation to the transition of our Board into a modern system of corporate governance, and that will be part of his lasting legacy. In addition, he will leave behind not just colleagues, but real friends. Thank you very much Paul for all your help and support over the years, and I know that you will be a tremendous asset to the Bench.”

Jonathan I’Anson, Chief Executive of Exchange Chambers added:

“Congratulations to Paul. We are of course sad to see him go, but our loss is the Bench’s gain. Paul is a fantastic barrister and has contributed greatly to Chambers. He has built and led Chambers’ Local Government & Social Housing team and has been an integral part of our Management Board for many years. I would like to thank him for all of his support and wish him the best of wishes for his future.”