Latest silk round appointments announced
A new cohort of QCs has been celebrating the results of the latest silk round.
Some 88 new Queen’s Counsel are to be appointed, of which 23 are women. Their ages range from 37 to 62—exactly the same age span as last year.
The Selection Panel interviewed 147 of the 214 lawyers who applied. Three employed advocates applied, but only one was appointed. Two solicitor advocates applied, but neither was successful.
In terms of diversity statistics, 58% of the 40 women who applied were successful. Six of the 15 applicants who declared an ethnic origin other than white were successful. Of seven applicants who declared a disability, four were appointed. Three of the soon-to-be silks are over 50.
The prestigious rank is awarded for excellence in advocacy in the higher courts. Applicants endure a lengthy and expensive selection process.
Professor Dame Joan Higgins, chair of the QC Selection Panel, says:“Female applicants have again been proportionately more successful than men, although nearly three times as many men as women were appointed.
“The Panel is concerned that there appears to be considerable hesitancy on the part of solicitor advocates to apply for Silk, even where they may be well qualified to do so.”
Five new QCs honoris causa will also be appointed. They are Professor Dawn Oliver of University College, London; Michael Payton, senior partner of Clyde & Co; human rights solicitor Stephen Grosz, of Bindmans; solicitor Charles Dhanowa for his work at the Competition Appeal Tribunal; and Oxford University’s Professor Sandra Fredman.
The Lord Chancellor, Ken Clarke, will preside over the appointment ceremony at Westminster Hall on 30 March.
The next round of appointments will begin this month. Applicants can expect to pay a fee of £2,340.
