Profession
Ninety-eight new silks have been appointed by the Queen’s Counsel Appointments selection panel. Just under a third of applicants were successful and only 20 women made the cut this year, against 33 in 2006. Bar Council chairman Tim Dutton QC says the interim appointment scheme, which was set up in 2005, is settling in. “I hope that this will be continued with an annual list, which has a fixed date for appointments. It is important for practitioners to work to a consistent and regular timetable, so they can be certain about when they will have the opportunity to apply for silk, and know how long the process will take,” he adds.