Seven new family law QCs appointed

The Lord Chancellor has approved the appointment of seven new family law Queen's Counsel today.

One of the newly appointed QCs, Teertha Gupta from 4 Paper Buildings, won Jordan Publishing's Family Law Barrister of the Year Award 2011 having been the only junior to be shortlisted in a field of silks. Five of the seven new family silks have written for Jordan Publishing or been a speaker at one of their conferences.

The number of family QC appointments this year is less than the record 17 silks selected in 2011, but in line with the six family silks appointed in 2010. 1 King's Bench Walk chambers secured the most number of appointments with two of their barristers set to take silk (Richard Harrison and Philip Marshall).

Overall there were 88 new silks, down from the 120 QC appointments last year. There were only 2 applications from solicitor advocates, neither of whom were successful.  Female applicants were proportionately more successful than men, although nearly three times as many men as women were appointed.  A smaller proportion of applicants declaring an ethnic background other than white were appointed this year than in the 2010-11 competition, but the success rate (41%) was almost identical to the success rate for other applicants. 

The new silks will be sworn in before the Lord Chancellor in Westminster Hall on Friday 30th March. The independent Queen's Counsel Selection Panel will invite applications for the next round of appointments in March 2012.

Full list of family law QC appointments:

• Teertha Gupta - 4 Paper Buildings
• Richard Harrison - 1 King's Bench Walk
• Frances Heaton - Deans Court Chambers
• Taryn J. Lee - 37 Park Square Chambers
• Philip Marshall - 1 King's Bench Walk
• John Vater - Harcourt Chambers
• Claire Wills-Goldingham - Albion Chambers