City partner swaps practice for Bar

A FORMER City partner has crossed over to the Bar in search of more advocacy work and greater variety.

Sue Burns, formerly of Lovell White Durrant, was invited to join 3 Serjeants' Inn chambers after successfully completing a three-month refresher pupillage.

She originally qualified as a barrister before establishing herself as a construction litigation specialist at Lovells where she worked for 12 years, eight of which were as a partner.

Her desire for more advocacy work and to break out of the confines of her specialism prompted the move to 3 Serjeants' Inn. She had previously instructed head of chambers Phillip Naughton QC.

Now Burns does professional negligence and general commercial work alongside construction litigation.

"It was definitely the right move for me," she said.

"There's a great deal more freedom and independence, a greater variety of work and a good mix of paperwork and court work."

Burns is one of a handful of senior City lawyers to have switched to the Bar in recent years. Patrick Way, former head of corporate tax at Gouldens, joined 8 Gray's Inn Square last year.

He cited similar reasons for his move. "Your work is less specialised," he said. "As a barrister you can still do personal tax work, as well as the corporate and international stuff."