This year has seen the highest-ever number of female applications for silk and the highest number of female QCs actually made up.

43 of the 223 lawyers who applied were women. On the face of it that might seem a paltry number, but in a profession that still has outdoor clerks and an 18th century dress codes, it counts as progress. 58% of the women who put their names forward were successful, compared with a 43% of those who put their names forward last year and 38% of the men who applied. As a result, a record 27% of the total crop of 93 new silks can wear skirts without cross-dressing or being Scottish.

    They're happy, because they can double their hourly fee and wear stockings in public.

Nine solicitors applied and five made the cut, a 55% success rate. They are Audley Sheppard at Clifford Chance, Peter Turner at Freshfields, Wendy Miles of Boies Schiller & Flexner, Thomas Sprange at King & Spalding and Simon Nesbitt at Hogan Lovells. Beers on them this evening.

 

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Comments

Anonymous 16 January 15 10:39

How to illustrate a story about female achievement? With a picture of three blokes and a crap joke.