New Queen’s Counsel list to include solicitor
AROUND 80 lawyers will become Queen’s Counsel in this year’s round of appointments, the selection panel will reveal today, with the list set to reflect the legal industry’s efforts to open its doors.
Roughly a third of those to be appointed to the role, known as taking silk, are women. One solicitor advocate has also been chosen to become Queen’s Counsel, a promotion that has traditionally been reserved for experienced barristers.
Karyl Nairn, co-head of international arbitration for Skadden in Europe and the leader of Roman Abramovich’s High Court case against Boris Berezovsky, is believed to be the third female solicitor advocate to take silk since the QC selection rules were relaxed in 1995.
The Queen’s Counsel Selection Panel has encouraged solicitors to put themselves forward, after appointing none last year, but only received two applications for this year’s round.