For the second year running, only one solicitor appears in the annual list of new King’s Counsel. The independent King’s Counsel Selection Panel announced today that 95 out of 283 applicants had made the grade, a 33.6% success rate.
Twice as many men as women were appointed. However women applicants did better than men in the process, with a success rate of 36% compared with 32% for men. The success rate for applicants declaring ethnicity other than white was 14%.
KC appointments are made by His Majesty The King on the advice of the lord chancellor, following consideration by the independent King’s Counsel (KC) Selection Panel. Each application costs £2,370, with a further £3,990 paid by successful applicants.
Congratulating the new silks, Monisha Shah, chair of the selection panel, said: ‘The selection process is a rigorous and demanding one and I believe that every one of these new silks will be a credit to their profession.’
Shah said the panel continues to monitor the number of applications from lawyers of ‘a diverse range of backgrounds’.
The award is based on evidence from assessors, she said. ‘We do not operate quotas for appointment; however we continue to monitor diversity data closely and while I would not expect successful applications from those with protected characteristics to increase each and every year, I am pleased to note that application rates from people of minority ethnic backgrounds and female applicants are strong and the number of successful applications remain broadly in line with the eligible population.’
Law Society president Nick Emmerson said: ‘Since 1995, solicitors with higher rights of audience have been eligible to apply for King’s Counsel (KC) status. Approximately 217 solicitors have applied, of whom 65 have successfully been appointed.
‘While the number of solicitors applying for KC status reflects the historic division of advocacy work between the Bar and solicitors, we believe the overall number of solicitor applicants and successful appointments – particularly from diverse backgrounds – could be higher.
‘Awards must of course be made on merit and the Law Society supports the maintenance of a robust application process. We are committed to seeing an improvement in the statistics of successful solicitor appointments and will continue to work with the KCA on increasing awareness of the steps involved in applying for KC status amongst our membership.
‘We are keen to help eligible solicitors demonstrate their unique skills and experience and are calling for greater recognition of these as part of the qualifying process.’
