She practised criminal law and rose to be a Queen's Counsel in 1985, as well as a Master of the Bench of Gray's Inn.

[1] Curnow dealt with some harrowing cases: for example, in 2000 she prosecuted two teenage sisters who had befriended and later fatally attacked an 87-year-old woman[2] and in 2002 she prosecuted a couple who had tortured and neglected their two-year-old daughter to death.

[3] She kept a professional profile in court, but she was known for the support she gave to younger lawyers.

Gray's Inn Hall installed "the Curnow Rail" to allow people with similar disabilities to enter at her suggestion.

[1] In 2019, Gray's Inn unveiled a scholarship in Curnow's name; the Elizabeth Ann Curnow Scholarship is a financial award to support students studying the professional qualification of the Bar.