The Ministry of Justice and King’s Counsel Appointments (KCA) have today announced the appointment of 105 new King’s Counsel.
Chair of the Bar Council, Barbara Mills KC, said:
“Congratulations to all those receiving the news of a successful silk application today. Becoming King’s Counsel is an internationally recognised mark of excellence in advocacy and leadership in our profession.
“I also want to offer commiserations to those who have been unsuccessful this year. It can often take multiple applications to achieve success. I hope you will try again in future and take advantage of the mentoring schemes and support that is available.”
KCA has also published data on the diversity of applicants which shows that none of the 10 Black applicants and none of the 5 employed applicants was successful in this round. Commenting, Barbara added:
“We are pleased to see 17% (18 of 105) of the new silks are from a minority ethnic background but it is concerning that this year none of the Black applicants was successful. There is a need to better understand the factors that impact the success of Black applicants, as well as ensuring the right support is available for those wishing to apply to demonstrate their excellence in advocacy. Our Race Panel is keen to develop a programme of work to support this and would welcome the opportunity to talk to Black barristers who have applied, or considered applying, for silk.
“For employed barristers taking silk as a sign of career progression remains a key challenge given that the KC scheme is so heavily focused on advocacy. This is something that I will work closely with our employed barristers’ committee to explore.”