New QCs revealed

Women continue to be more successful than men at being promoted to Queen's Counsel, the latest round of appointments demonstrates. The rank of QC is awarded to lawyers who demonstrate excellence in advocacy and has traditionally permitted the holder to charge higher fees. Although only 23 of the 88 new silks are female, they represent 58% of the 40 women who applied. With 214 applicants, the overall success rate was 41%. Last year's success rate for women was 66%. The proportion of successful non-white applicants (six out of 15) was similar to the proportion of successful applicants as a whole. But only two solicitor-advocates applied, neither of whom was successful. Until 2003, silks were chosen by the lord chancellor on the advice of his officials. Lord Irvine proposed closing the system down but the bar wanted to keep it. So an independent panel was set up, funded by application fees. The panel is currently chaired by Professor Dame Joan Higgins, a specialist in public health. It has wisely reinstated the tradition of publishing the list in order of seniority -- in other words, according to length of qualification. That's because the real stars of the bar tend to appear towards the bottom of the list; they are the lawyers who've acquired the necessary skills and expertise for promotion at a relatively youthful age. The youngest this year is 37, which is about par for the course, and the oldest is 62. None of the names on the list will be particularly well known to newspaper readers although lawyers will recognise the occasional legal dynasty in the making: James Laddie, for example, is the son of the late Mr Justice Laddie. All the barristers are in private practice except for one employed lawyer. The new silks range from public law specialists (such as Tom de la Mare of Blackstone Chambers) to an expert in prison law (Pete Weatherby, from Garden Court North Chambers in Manchester). New QCs in order of seniority Jacques Algazy , Cloisters Michael Mather-Lees , Thirty Park Place Ceri Bryant , Erskine Chambers Frances Heaton , Dean Court Chambers Adam Davis , Dyers Chambers Mark Heywood , No 5 Chambers Charles Sherrard , Furnival Chambers Suzanne Ornsby , St John's Chambers David Evans , 1 Crown Office Row Sally-Ann Hales , 18 Red Lion Court Michael Mylonas , 3 Serjeants' Inn Robert O'Sullivan , 5 Paper Buildings Andrew Post , Hailsham Chambers Peter Wilcock , Tooks Chambers Anne Studd , 5 Essex Court Chirag Karia , Quadrant Chambers Gary Bell , No5 Chambers Damian Brown , Littleton Chambers Philip Marshall , 1 King's Bench Walk Andrew Cayley , Doughty Street Chambers Ranjit Bhose , Cornerstone Barristers Nigel Poole , Kings Chambers Jane Bickerstaff , 9 Bedford Row John Odgers , Three Verulam Buildings Patrick Green , Henderson Chambers Howard Stevens , 3 Hare Court Edmund Cullen, Maitland Chambers Fenella Morris , Thirty Nine Essex Street Teertha Gupta , 4 Paper Buildings Marc Rowlands , Keating Chambers Zoe Johnson , QEB Hollis Whiteman Paul Gott , Fountain Court Lawrence Akka , 20 Essex Street Michael Bools , Brick Court Chambers Sean Jones , 11KBW Tracey Angus , Five Stone Buildings Dominique Rawley , Atkin Chambers Suzanne McKie , Devereux Chambers Taryn J Lee , 37 Park Square Paul Nicholls , 11KBW Nicholas Lumley , Park Court Chambers Nicholas Griffin , 5 Paper Buildings Alexander Hutton , Hailsham Chambers Philip Moser , Monckton Chambers Kate Blackwell , Lincoln House Chambers Caspar Glyn , Cloisters Andrew Wales , 7KBW Pete Weatherby , Garden Court North David Wolfe , Matrix Chambers Paul Bowen , Doughty Street Chambers Andrew Hunter , Blackstone Chambers John Machell , Serle Court Samantha Leek , 5 Essex Court Adrian Darbishire , QEB Hollis Whiteman Richard Hill , 4 Stone Buildings Emma Himsworth , One Essex Court Sara Masters , 20 Essex Street Rebecca Sabben-Clare , 7KBW Adrian Speck , 8 New Square Piers Stansfield , Keating Chambers Steven Walker , Atkin Chambers Richard T Harrison, 1 Kings Bench Walk Henry Legge , Five Stone Buildings Jo Sidhu , 25 Bedford Row Kieran Vaughan , Garden Court Chambers Andrew Warnock , 1 Chancery Lane Richard Coleman , Fountain Court Rebecca Stubbs , Maitland Chambers Jonathan Kinnear , 9-12 Bell Yard Hugh Preston , 7 Bedford Row Rupert Warren , Landmark Chambers Richard Waller , 7KBW Zafar Ali , 23 Essex Street Alexander Gunning , 4 Pump Court James Collins , Essex Court Chambers John Vater , Harcourt Chambers Thomas de la Mare , Blackstone Chambers Stuart Ritchie , Littleton Chambers Rebecca Trowler , Doughty Street Chambers James Laddie , Matrix Chambers Kieron Beal , Blackstone Chambers Marie Demetriou , Brick Court Chambers Hugh Norbury , Serle Court Nicola Shaw , Gray's Inn Tax Chambers Anneliese Day , 4 New Square Ben Elkington , 4 New Square Andrew Smith , St Philips Chambers Claire Wills-Goldingham , Albion Chambers • This article was corrected on 29 February 2012 because the original said Richard Harrison of Devereux Chambers instead of Richard T Harrison of 1 King's Bench Walk, and Nicola Shaw of Trinity Chambers instead of Nicola Shaw of Gray's Inn Tax Chambers. The original also said Robert O'Sullivan of Mitre Court Buildings and Nicholas Griffin of Riverview Chambers, when it should have said 5 Paper Buildings for both. All of these points have been corrected.