The City Law School alumni make up over half of the new King's Counsel for 2024.
By City Press Office (City Press Office), Published
The City Law School is delighted to share that over half of the recently announced King’s Counsel (KC) for 2024 are alumni of the School.
Out of 95 appointments, 53 are alumni of The City Law School, building upon an outstanding tradition.
Bar training is that required to become a barrister. Up until entry for the 1997-98 academic year, the School’s predecessor, the Inns of Court School of Law (ICSL), was prominent as the original and sole provider of bar training in the United Kingdom.
Forty of the 53 alumni being appointed King's Counsel for 2024 studied with the School after this academic entry date; an indicator of the School becoming competitive once the provision of bar training opened up to other institutions.
The Lord Chancellor will preside over the appointment ceremony at Westminster Hall in March 2024, where he will formally bestow the title of King's Counsel upon the appointees and award the Honorary King's Counsel appointments as well.
What is a King’s Counsel?
King’s Counsel, or ‘Silks’ are elite barristers or advocates in the UK legal profession who have been selected for their exceptional knowledge, experience, and expertise. They have officially been appointed by The King on the advice of the Lord Chancellor.
Becoming a King’s Counsel, previously a ‘Queen’s Counsel’ during the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, is known as ‘taking silk’ or becoming a ‘silk lawyer’ due to the silk gowns that King's Counsel wear in court, as opposed to the wool gowns worn by junior barristers.
History of The City Law School
The City Law School is historically known for delivering legal education dating back to the nineteenth century. The ICSL was the first provider of legal education to provide bar training in the United Kingdom.
City, University of London established its Centre for Legal Studies in 1977 when it began delivering the current equivalent to the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) programme. City was also the first to develop the ‘conversion course’ concept.
In 2001, the ICSL joined City, along with the Centre for Legal Studies to form The City Law School. The City Law School is unique in offering a range of courses while remaining committed to excellence in research.
The current Bar Vocational Studies (BVS) course at the School allows students to study and train to qualify to become a barrister, where students can develop in depth legal knowledge and be awarded an accredited course by the Bar Standards Board.
James Catchpole, Head of Department for Professional Programmes at The City Law School, said:
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List of The City Law School alumni announced as new Silks
Ms Farrhat Arshad
Ms Anna Claire Beale
Mr Daniel Mark Bentham
Mr Andrzej Leonard Bojarski
Mr James Luke Bourne-Arton
Mr Stuart Brittenden
Mr Matthew John Brook
Dr Oliver Simo Caplin
Ms Joanne Michelle Cecil
Ms Rebecca Elizabeth Chalkley
Mr David Domenico Chirico
Miss Sadiya Asghar Choudhury
Mrs Jane Eleanor Trethewey Davies Evans
Miss Josephine Celia Palfrey Davies
Mr James Michael Duffy
Miss Anna Colette Edwards-Stuart
Miss Catherine Louise Farrelly
Ms Anita Sanghmita Guha
Mr Richard Mark Andrew Hadley
Ms Susannah Johnson
Mr Andrew Craig Jones
Ms Jennifer Rachael Jones
Mr Jeffrey Ernest Jupp
Mr Dermot John Keating
Miss Anna Marie Laney
Miss Jocelyn Ledward
Mr Kester Gerrard William Lees
Mr David Peter Manknell
Mr Martin Raymond McCarthy
Mr Brendan David McGurk
Ms Naqshbandi, Saba Shafique
Mr Greagóir Ó Ceallaigh
Mr Richard William O'Brien
Miss Beth O'Reilly
Mr Thomas Henry Payne
Mr Jonathan Samuel Polnay
Mr Bradley Russell Pomfret
Mr Mohammed Ayaz Qazi
Ms Amy Elizabeth Clare Rogers
Mr Richard Anthony Sear
Miss Sharon Miriam Segal
Mr James Michael Sheehan
Mr Joel David Geoffrey Smith
Mr Matthew James Smith
Mr Paul Andrew Stagg
Mr Thomas Sebastian Storey
Miss Maryam Hassan Syed
Miss Eleanor Louise Temple
Mr James Christian Thacker
Mr Colin Benedik Thomann
Mr Michael John Wheater
Mr Simon Wilton
Mr Philip John Woolfe
Find out more
Read the Press Release about all 95 successful appointments this year from King’s Counsel Appointments.
Written by Aylin Aliev, School Marketing & Recruitment Assistant, The CIty Law School and Dr Shamim Quadir, Senior Communications Officer, The City Law School.