Gatehouse Chambers property and probate silk Brie Stevens-Hoare KC on coming out, fitting in and how the profession needs to continue to push back against toxic narratives
Well over half of female applicants were successful in this year’s Queen’s Counsel (QC) appointments, spearheading a cohort that also saw solid solicitor representation.
The five successful solicitors represented a cross-section of elite disputes firms: Ruth Byrne, dual commercial litigation and arbitration partner at King & Spalding; Allen & Overy arbitration partner Kate Davies McGill; Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s London arbitration head Sylvia Maria Noury; international arbitration partner at Herbert Smith Freehills Chris Parker; and Gaëtan Verhoosel, founding partner at arbitration specialist Three Crowns. Continue reading “Silk and steel: Women lead the way in latest QC round as five solicitors make the cut”
Clydes, HSF, Freshfields and White & Case arbitration partners among new QCs
A record 22 applicants from ethnic minority backgrounds have been elevated to Queen’s Counsel (QC) in the latest round from a total 114 taking silk. But while the overall number of new silks is up 6% from 108 last year, the number of female applicants fell slightly. Continue reading “Record year for ethnic minorities in latest silk round but number of female applicants falls”
The number of new Queen’s Counsel (QC) has rebounded after a 2018 dip, including a record 22 appointments from ethnic minority backgrounds.
The proportion of female appointments fell, however, two percentage points to 28% of successful candidates, making up 30 of the 114 to take up silk in total. A total of 108 QCs were appointed last year. Continue reading “A record year for ethnic minorities as Clydes, Freshfields, HSF and White & Case partners make 2019 silk round”
Like the rest of Britain, barristers at the commercial Bar are impatiently waiting for some clarity over Brexit: it is a paramount concern because they want London to retain its position as the premier location for international business disputes. But more than three years on from the referendum result, the much-debated uncertainty has not yet had a significant impact on the volume or value of their work.
‘The commercial Bar is thriving at the moment and I expect it to continue to thrive,’ says Sonia Tolaney QC, chair of The Commercial Bar Association. ‘Dealing with the still-unknown consequences of Brexit presents a challenge. But although there has been a period of real uncertainty, the truth is that the health of the commercial Bar is very strong.’ Continue reading “The Bar – Happy when it rains”
Parklane Plowden Chambers is seeing the long-term benefits after its 2014 restructuring
In an increasingly competitive and financially challenging legal marketplace, the demand on law firms and barristers’ chambers alike has been to innovate and explore new ways of working in order to succeed. It is easy to accept that this could be trickier for barristers’ chambers to achieve, given the highly traditional and arguably outdated structure they take. Continue reading “Sponsored chambers briefing: Innovate to succeed”
