[1] In 1983, Burns moved to Canberra and worked for the Deputy Crown Solicitors Office as a prosecutor.
[1] Burns then joined the firm Gallens Barristers and Solicitors in 1985 and shortly became a partner.
[1][2] After the retirement of Ron Cahill, Burns was appointed Chief Magistrate of the Australian Capital Territory on 15 December 2009.
[7] Burns, while on the ACT Supreme Court, was the Sentencing Judge in the secret trial of Witness J, a former officer of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) who was convicted of using insecure channels to communicate classified information.
As an Additional Judge of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory, Burns presided over the trial of police officer Zachary Rolfe, who was charged with the murder of Kumanjayi Walker after shooting and killing Walker while attempting to arrest him.