In the 2019/20 round, newly appointed QC’s who have a track record of working on cases involving the public sector include:
- Andrew Allen, Outer Temple Chambers (employment)
- David Blundell, Landmark Chambers (public law, human rights, European Union law, environmental and planning law)
- Samantha Bowcock, 15 Winckley Square (public law, children)
- Peter Goatley, No5 Chambers (housing, planning)
- Jamas Hodivala, Matrix Chambers (environmental)
- Martin Kingerley, The 36 Group (public law, children, Court of Protection)
- Scott Lyness, Landmark Chambers (planning and environmental law)
- Aileen McColgan, 11 KBW (public law, employment, education)
- Julian Milford, 11 KBW (public law, freedom of information/data protection and employment law)
- Barbara Mills, 4 Paper Buildings (children law)
- Eleni Mitrophanous, Matrix Chambers (judicial review and human rights)
- Allison Munroe, Garden Court Chambers (family public law)
- Ijeoma Omambala, Old Square Chambers (public procurement)
- Deshpal Panesar, Old Square (children law, Court of Protection)
- David Pievsky, Blackstone Chambers (public law, regulatory, employment)
- Marcus Pilgerstorfer, 11 KBW (employment and discrimination; product and consumer liability; and public law)
- Brendan Roche, 7BR (Court of Protection, child, or vulnerable adult, welfare)
- Jonathan Sampson, Harcourt Chambers (public family law)
- James Segan, Blackstone Chambers (procurement, public and regulatory)
- Kate Selway, Radcliffe Chambers (Court of Protection, highways, planning)
- Stephen Simblet, Garden Court Chambers (Court of Protection)
- Adam Speker, 5RB Barristers (data protection)
- Jacqueline Thomas, Spire (public law, children, Court of Protection)
- Richard Wald, 39 Essex Chambers (environmental, planning and public)
- Robert Williams, Monckton Chambers (procurement law and other public law and regulatory litigation)
Of the 114 lawyers appointed, four were solicitor advocates. 30 women applicants of the 52 who applied were successful.
This year saw the appointment of 22 of the applicants who declared an ethnic origin other than white of the 42 who applied. A marked increase on last year’s round which saw 13 such applicants taking silk.
Sir Alex Allan, Chair of the Selection Panel, said today: “I am delighted at the announcement of the new silks. I congratulate each one of them. The selection process is a rigorous and demanding one. We collect confidential assessments from judges, fellow advocates and professional clients, who give freely of their time to provide evidence about an applicant’s demonstration of the competencies. Those applicants who are not filtered out following consideration of the assessments are then interviewed by two members of the Selection Panel, following which the whole Panel discuss all the evidence on each interviewed applicant.
“We remain concerned that the number of female applicants remains comparatively low, but I am pleased that of those women who did apply, almost 60% were successful. I was also pleased to note that a record number of 22 BAME applicants were appointed.
Each year, the Panel has the difficult task of identifying the truly excellent advocates. I am confident that those appointed today truly deserve to be Queen’s Counsel.”
The new Queen’s Counsel will formally become silks when they make their declaration before the Lord Chancellor at a ceremony on 16 March 2020.