CMS has hired Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner’s (BCLP’s) global international arbitration practice co-leader George Burn as a partner in London.
Burn brings more than 25 years’ experience, with his practice spanning both investment treaty and international commercial arbitration, including acting as both an arbitrator and counsel in complex cross-border disputes. He regularly advises on jurisdictional issues and questions of public and private international law.
Burn has a distinguished track record of representing and advising clients across a broad spectrum of disputes covering multiple sectors, including energy and natural resources, infrastructure, banking and finance, mining, construction and defence.
These disputes have been seated throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas and governed by the principal arbitral rules, including the ICC, which has recently revised its arbitral rules, and the LCIA, which is in the process of doing so. He has also handled cases in other investor-state dispute settlement forums like ICSID, UNCITRAL and the PCA, and regional centres in Singapore, Sweden, Hong Kong, the US via AAA-ICDR, and elsewhere.
Burn leaves BCLP after nearly nine years, having joined from Vinson & Elkins in 2016. He was previously a partner at Dentons from 2007 to 2013, originally joining the firm in 2001 when it was known as Denton Wilde Sapte.
Burn’s arrival coincides with the retirement of CMS’s international arbitration partner Richard Bamforth, the founding co-chair of London International Disputes Week, after a 38-year-long career, including 21 years at CMS. The 2026 edition of LIDW, of which the Global Legal Post is a media partner, opens with International Arbitration Day today (1 June).
CMS’s former co-head of international arbitration, Sarah Vasani, left the firm in July last year to set up her own independent arbitration-focused firm, while Bamforth is expected to do likewise alongside sitting on the UK government’s English law panel.
Philip Norman, head of international arbitration at CMS, called Burn a “highly respected international arbitration practitioner with an exceptional track record in both commercial and investor-state disputes”.
He added: “His arrival further strengthens our global arbitration offering at a time of real momentum for the practice,” with more than 100 dedicated arbitration lawyers forming the global practice.
Norman added: “Burn’s appointment is a clear statement of our ambition to continue building one of the world’s leading international arbitration teams. His deep experience across jurisdictions, sectors and arbitral rules will be a tremendous asset to our clients and to our teams around the world.”
Luke Pardey, co-head of litigation and arbitration at CMS, said: “George’s hire is a strong strategic fit for our practice and for our clients. With his extensive experience in energy, infrastructure and emerging markets, and his established reputation in both commercial and investment treaty arbitration, George brings capabilities that will complement and enhance our existing offering.”
During his time at BCLP, Burn advanced several thought-leadership initiatives on key topics in international arbitration, which received market acclaim. A BCLP spokesperson said: “We thank George for his contributions to the firm and wish him well.”
CMS promoted seven partners with arbitration experience in its 54-strong 2026 partner round, including Michaela Potter in London and Maxence Carron in Geneva. It also hired Shane Daly as a partner in Paris in January.
Pardey added: “Businesses operating in complex or high-risk markets increasingly need advisers who can combine deep arbitration expertise with a genuinely global platform, and CMS is uniquely positioned to deliver that.”
Burn agreed, saying: “With colleagues on the ground in key markets across Central and Eastern Europe, Asia and the Middle East, CMS offers exactly the kind of platform that international arbitration work demands.”
The Global Legal Post is holding a roundtable event on international arbitration, in partnership with Ashurst, as part of LIDW26 at Ashurst’s London office on Wednesday 3 June from 14.00 to 15.30, bringing delegates from across the globe. For more details about the session, programme and speaker lineup, please visit the LIDW26 event page.
Email your news and story ideas to: [email protected]
