Dispute may delay announcement of new QCs in the UK
Publish date: 16 November 2004
Issue Number: 1218
Diary: Legalbrief Today
Category: Practice
A dispute between barristers and solicitors in the UK over the new framework for appointing Queen\'s Counsel has dashed expectations that the first new-style QCs would be sworn in next Easter, the traditional time for the annual announcement of new silks.
According to a report in The Guardian, the government abolished the traditional appointments system, with QCs chosen by the Lord Chancellor, last May and asked the Law Society to hammer out a new selection process. The Bar - represented in the negotiations by William Blair QC, the prime minister\'s brother - has rejected the solicitors\' demand that QCs should be accredited in a particular area of law, such as family or crime, and not just awarded a general title. The Law Society argues that consumers should be told the field in which the lawyer is an expert. Full report in The Guardian
