Some 105 England and Wales advocates are celebrating their elevation to the status of King’s Counsel (KCs), the largest cohort in four years, although the Bar Council has expressed concern over the absence of a successful Black applicant.

This year’s appointments are also notable for the fact that just one solicitor has been selected as a KC: Sheila Ahuja, a Singapore-based partner at A&O Shearman. She was one of five solicitors to apply and one of two solicitor candidates to be invited to interview.

The 2024 competition is the first overseen by Labour Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood, following a selection process conducted by the independent KC Selection Panel.

There were 18 successful applicants who declared an ethnic origin other than white, representing a 30% success rate – roughly in line with the previous two years, when the proportions were 27% and 33%.

However, none of the 10 black applicants were successful. Barbara Mills KC, the chair of the Bar Council, was concerned, commenting: “There is a need to understand better the factors that impact the success of Black applicants, as well as ensuring the right support is available for those wishing to apply to demonstrate their excellence in advocacy.”  

Mills committed the Bar’s Race Panel to create a programme supporting Black barristers who have applied or are considering applying for silk. 

KC Selection Panel chair Shah also expressed the panel’s concern and noted “the challenges [Black applicants] face in demonstrating their excellence in higher courts”, while emphasising its outreach efforts.  

There were eight successful applicants who declared a disability, representing a 42% success rate, down from 47% the previous year.  

This year’s cohort to achieve the status of silk, named after the material of the gown worn by KCs, was chosen out of 326 applicants, representing a 32% success rate. While the number of applications was the highest for more than a decade, the success rate continues a steady decline from 2018, when the pass rate was 45%.

However, the number of appointments is the highest in four years, 95 having been appointed in the 2023 and 2022 competitions and 101 in 2021. 

More than double the number of men, 72, were appointed compared to the 33 women who made the grade. Female applicants, however, were more successful with their applications, achieving a success rate of 39% compared to 30% for men. 

Shah congratulated the new appointees: “I would like to offer my congratulations to all the new silks announced today. The selection process is rigorous and demanding, and I believe that every one of these new silks will be a credit to their profession.”

Of the significant commercial sets, Essex Court topped the list with five appointments – Tariq Baloch, Jane Russell, Ciaran Keller, David Walsh and Anton Dudnikov. One Essex Court saw Michelle Menashy, Alexander Brown and Niranjan Venkatesan appointed, while Fountain Court saw Rupert Allen and Alex Barden get the nod and at Brick Court Edward Harrison was appointed. 

No employed barrister was appointed from the five who applied, with only one applicant successful in the 2023 competition.

Mills commented: “For employed barristers, taking silk as a sign of career progression remains a key challenge given that the KC scheme is so heavily focused on advocacy. This is something that I will work closely with our employed barristers’ committee to explore.”

Meanwhile, commenting on her appointment, Ahuja said: “I am truly honoured to receive this recognition and am deeply grateful to my family, friends, colleagues and clients for their unwavering support.”

Marie Stoyanov, A&O Shearman’s global arbitration co-head, added: “I am so pleased that Sheila has been awarded silk. She is an exceptionally gifted lawyer, a very talented advocate and a star of arbitration. If anyone deserves this mark of recognition, it is Sheila.”

Ahuja’s appointment follows only one solicitor advocate being appointed in the 2023 and 2022 competitions out of seven and eight applicants respectively – Withers’ Hussein Haeiri KC and Mike McClure KC of Herbert Smith Freehills. Five had been appointed in each of the previous two competitions. 

The number of solicitor-advocates appointed now remains the lowest since 2010 for the third year running, while the fall in the number of such applicants will concern the Law Society, which was contacted for comment.

The list of successful applicants can be found here.