Becoming a King’s Counsel (KC) is one of the highest professional honours available to advocates in England and Wales. Commonly referred to as “taking silk,” appointment as a King’s Counsel recognises exceptional advocacy, legal expertise, and professional integrity. Every year, experienced barristers and, in some cases, solicitor advocates apply through an independent selection process run by King’s Counsel Appointments (KCA). Successful candidates earn the right to use the post-nominal KC and frequently go on to lead some of the most complex and high-profile cases in the higher courts. This guide explains how to become a King’s Counsel, the eligibility requirements, the application process, and what the appointment means for a legal career.
What is a King’s Counsel?
A King’s Counsel is a senior advocate recognised for excellence in advocacy before the higher courts of England and Wales. Appointment is made by His Majesty The King on the advice of the Lord Chancellor following recommendations from the independent King’s Counsel Selection Panel. Historically known as Queen’s Counsel during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, the title changed to King’s Counsel following the accession of King Charles III in 2022. Appointment is based entirely on merit and is open to eligible advocates who meet the published Competency Framework.
What does “taking silk” mean?
The phrase “taking silk” refers to the tradition of newly appointed King’s Counsel wearing silk gowns in place of the stuff gowns worn by junior barristers. Today the phrase is synonymous with achieving senior status at the Bar and being recognised for exceptional advocacy.
Who can apply to become a King’s Counsel?
Applicants must hold rights of audience in the higher courts of England and Wales and carry a current practising certificate. Eligible applicants include:
- Self-employed barristers
- Employed barristers
- Solicitor advocates with higher rights of audience
There is no prescribed minimum number of years in practice. Successful applicants typically have substantial advocacy experience and can demonstrate excellence across the published Competency Framework. The KCA is clear that complexity and substance of cases matters more than volume: evidence of extended routine advocacy does not substitute for evidence of difficult and complex work.
The KC competency framework
Every application is assessed against five competencies published by King’s Counsel Appointments. All five must be demonstrated to a standard of excellence, in cases of substance, complexity, or particular difficulty or sensitivity.
Competency A: Understanding and Using the Law
Applicants must demonstrate expert, up-to-date legal knowledge applied accurately and effectively. The Selection Panel looks for evidence of depth of understanding not just familiarity with the law including the ability to draw on case law effectively in unsettled areas and to become reliably familiar with new areas quickly.
Competency B: Written and Oral advocacy
This is the core competency. The Panel assesses both written and oral advocacy, including advocacy in courts, tribunals, arbitrations, and mediations. Applicants must show they can gain a rapid overview of complex material, identify the best arguments, communicate them persuasively, and respond effectively to new evidence or argument. Written advocacy is assessed separately from oral performance both matter.
Competency C: Working with others
The Panel assesses how applicants conduct themselves with clients, instructing solicitors, opposing counsel, judges, and their own teams. Collaboration, leadership within a case team, candour with clients, and consistent professionalism are all relevant. Acting as a role model for the profession is explicitly identified as a marker of excellence.
Competency D: Diversity Action and Understanding
Applicants must demonstrate awareness of diversity and cultural issues, including those arising from the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act 2010. The Panel looks for evidence of positive action not just passive awareness and a record of confronting discrimination when observed. This competency is taken seriously by the Panel and carries real weight in the interview stage.
Competency E: Integrity
Integrity is assessed as a matter of professional conduct. Applicants are expected to have honoured their professional obligations throughout their career. The Panel’s position is that integrity should be the baseline for any senior advocate and is treated as satisfied unless there is evidence to the contrary. That said, any adverse professional history must be disclosed and will be considered.
The King’s Counsel selection process
Appointment is made through an independent, evidence-based process. The Selection Panel comprises a lay chair, four other lay members, two judicial members, two barristers, and two solicitors all appointed independently of government.
Step 1: Submit an application
Applicants complete a detailed application demonstrating how they satisfy each competency within the Competency Framework. Supporting evidence is required for every competency, drawn from cases of substance, complexity, or particular difficulty. The KCA notes that most applicants spend more than 30 hours preparing their application.
Step 2: Judicial and professional assessments
Assessors including judges, senior legal professionals, and lay clients familiar with the applicant’s work provide confidential assessments across the competencies. Assessors are central to the process. The Panel relies on assessment evidence to evaluate each competency, particularly where the applicant’s written application cannot tell the whole story.
Step 3: Interview
Candidates who progress beyond the initial assessment stage are invited to a 45-minute competency-based interview. The interview covers advocacy experience, professional judgment, ethical decision-making, and specific examples across all competencies. Competency D Diversity Action and Understanding typically features prominently.
Step 4: Final recommendation
Successful candidates are recommended by the King’s Counsel Selection Panel to the Lord Chancellor. Appointments are then approved by His Majesty The King before the official announcement.
What qualities do successful KC applicants demonstrate?
While every application is assessed individually, the pattern of successful candidates is clear. Technical ability is necessary but not sufficient. Applicants must show sustained excellence across all five competencies not outstanding performance in one area alongside gaps in another. The KCA has been explicit that isolated achievements, however impressive, do not substitute for consistent high-level performance throughout a career.
The strongest applications are built on cases of real difficulty and complexity, evidenced by assessors who can speak directly to the applicant’s contribution not simply to the prominence of the case itself.
Benefits of becoming a King’s Counsel
KC status is recognised as one of the highest marks of excellence within the legal profession, and that recognition carries practical weight. King’s Counsel are typically instructed in major commercial disputes, high-profile criminal cases, constitutional matters, appellate litigation, international arbitration, and public inquiries.
Beyond instructions, many KCs take on leadership roles: heading advocacy teams, mentoring junior members of the Bar, sitting as arbitrators, and appearing in significant appellate cases.
Although KC status often commands higher fees, appointment does not guarantee increased earnings. Income depends on practice area, reputation, and market demand.
Is becoming a KC guaranteed?
No. The process is competitive and the success rate has fallen for seven consecutive years. In the 2025 competition, 325 advocates applied, of whom only 45% were invited to interview. The overall appointment rate was 29.5% the lowest on record. Applicants should go in with clear eyes about that reality.
Challenges of taking silk
The costs are real and worth understanding before applying. The application fee for the current competition is £2,160 (inclusive of VAT at £1,800 + VAT). Successful applicants pay a further appointment fee of £3,000 plus VAT. These figures are published by King’s Counsel Appointments and are set by the KCA Directors on behalf of the Bar Council and Law Society.
Beyond cost, applicants should be prepared for the time commitment of preparing a strong application typically over 30 hours alongside the increased professional expectations and responsibility that come with silk. For those whose practices are not yet generating work of sufficient complexity to evidence all five competencies, the realistic path is to continue building that record before applying.
King’s Counsel Appointments in 2026
In January 2026, 96 new King’s Counsel and eight Honorary King’s Counsel were approved by His Majesty The King, following recommendations from the independent King’s Counsel Selection Panel. All 96 appointed were barristers. The Law Society president described the outcome for solicitor applicants none succeeded as “extremely disappointing,” noting that only 66 solicitors have been appointed since eligibility was extended to them in 1995. The appointment ceremony was presided over by the Lord Chancellor at Westminster Hall in March 2026.
The 2026 KC competition opened on 13 March and closed on 24 April 2026. Results are expected later in the year.