A former pupil of St Mary's College has been named as one of the top ten ‘future stars of the Bar' by The Times newspaper.

The recently published list of ten UK barristers who are ‘destined for the top of the profession' includes just two who practise outside London with Paul Burns being the only one based in the North West.

After leaving St Mary's Paul ­ who is now a Governor of the school ­ went on to take a law degree at the University of Liverpool and postgraduate professional study at the Inns of Court School of Law and City University London.

Paul was called to the Bar in 1998 by the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn where he was awarded the Sir Thomas More Scholarship and Hardwick Scholarship.

He then joined the leading barristers' chambers Exchange Chambers which has premises in Liverpool and Manchester from where he now specialises in all aspects of housing management, community safety and local government law.

Paul has acted in a number of high-profile judicial review and appeal cases concerning housing law, anti-social behaviour and human rights and has been particularly successful in resisting attempts by defendants to use the Human Rights Act to challenge government legislation.

In 2007 Paul became the first barrister to be awarded a Chief Constable's Commendation by Merseyside Police for his ‘commitment, dedication, professionalism and motivation' when dealing with serious gang-related activity in the city which included the supply and use of drugs, violence and intimidation.

Paul's work has also been recognised by the publication Chambers and Partners, the leading independent guide to the legal profession.

The recently published 2009 edition describes him as a leader in his field and awards him the highest available ranking, noting that Paul has an ‘incredible level of expertise' and that ‘you know you'll get the best representation out there when you instruct him and you know he'll always do a damn good job for you.'

St Mary's College spokesman, Dr Trevor Lane, commented: "It is always very pleasing to hear about the successes of former pupils, especially when they are making a name for themselves at a national level like Paul. We are also delighted that Paul continues to make a valuable contribution to St Mary's in his important role as a Governor of the school," added Dr Lane.

In recent years Exchange Chambers has become something of a ‘hotspot' for former pupils of St Mary's College who now include Chambers Director Tom Handley and barrister Paul Clark who was Lord Mayor of Liverpool during 2007/8.