Law Society disappointed with lack of solicitor representation in new King’s Counsel silk appointments

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The King’s Counsel Appointments (KCA) have announced the names of 96 new silks – King’s Counsel (KCs). Despite the nine solicitors who applied this year, all successful applicants were barristers, reflecting the long‑standing pattern that the KC cohort is overwhelmingly drawn from the Bar. Since solicitors first became eligible for KC status in 1995, only 66 have been appointed out of 231 applicants.

President of the Law Society of England and Wales Mark Evans expressed his disappointment in these results, emphasising: “Solicitors bring invaluable skills and experience to the sector. There need be no limits to their ambition, including being appointed silks.”

A breakdown of KCA’s monitoring data showed an overall success rate of 29.5%, with 96 appointments from 325 applicants. Male candidates recorded a 28% success rate, while female applicants saw a higher rate at 34%. There were 11 applicants from ethnic minority backgrounds, with a 21% success rate, and four candidates who declared a disability, achieving a 22% success rate.

Evans stated: “While the number of solicitors applying for KC status reflects the historic division of advocacy work between the Bar and solicitors, the proportion of successful solicitor appointments – particularly from diverse backgrounds – must increase.”

He reiterated the Law Society’s support for a “robust, merit-based application process that values a range of experiences”, adding that the society are, “committed to seeing an improvement in these statistics and will continue to work with the KCA on increasing awareness of the steps involved in applying for KC status amongst our membership”.