A Bar Council working group has made four recommendations on the KC application process.
KC application guidance should be clearer and more practice-specific to help more barristers apply for silk, according to a new report from the Bar Council.
The report was produced by a working group chaired by Bar Council Vice Chair Heidi Stonecliffe KC. It examined how applicants across the Bar could receive better support when applying to become King’s Counsel (KC), including how employed barristers can develop the skills needed to apply and whether candidates should be able to draw on a wider range of referees.
The group consulted barristers from different practice areas and at different stages of their careers, as well as the Chief Executive of the King’s Counsel Appointments (KCA), the Chief Executive of Advocate, and chairs of Bar Council committees and specialist Bar associations.
Barristers apply through the KCA to become KCs, also known as “taking silk”. The Bar Council describes KC status as a mark of excellence in advocacy in the higher courts. It said there are close to 2,200 KCs among more than 18,000 practising barristers in England and Wales.
The working group considered the relatively low number of employed barristers applying for and receiving silk, alongside what it described as a perceived lack of transparency and clarity around the KCA selection process and the under-representation of some areas of law among silks.
The report makes four recommendations. The Bar Council should regularly brief the KCA on practice-specific developments relevant to demonstrating advocacy excellence, while also providing accurate and relevant guidance on career progression.
It recommends that the KCA better explain how the wider range of forums and experience now involved in advocacy can be reflected in KC applications. The report also proposes creating a non-exhaustive list of eligible judicial assessor roles.
The working group said additional guidance could help applicants understand how to use diverse professional experience in their applications and identify suitable referees.
Heidi Stonecliffe KC said the recommendations were not intended to lower the standard expected of King’s Counsel. She said greater clarity could encourage strong candidates who may be uncertain whether their career path, practice area or experience fits the perceived profile of a silk to apply.
Bar Council Chair Kirsty Brimelow KC said the recommendations should help maintain KC status as a mark of excellence while supporting a fair and accessible route to appointment on merit.
The report therefore focuses on improving clarity around the existing KC application process rather than changing the standard of excellence expected of successful candidates.