LESLEY ANDERSON QC
Lesley Anderson QC (1989 call) is a widely respected new QC practising from Leeds and Manchester set Kings Chambers. Anderson's out-of-court skills are highly praised, with one litigator commenting that she easily got to grips with the technicalities of a case she was instructed on. Litigators say that Anderson is an all-rounder and "has a nice manner with clients". She is also said to have "a good balance between understanding the technical and commercial aspects" of a case. In court, litigators say that Anderson is "excellent" and add that she is "very good with the mercantile judges" before whom she appears.

ROBERT ANDERSON QC
Blackstone Chambers' "consummate junior" Robert Anderson QC (1986 call) is another whose stock is seen to be on the rise.

PETER ARDEN QC
Mark Andrews, head of insolvency at Denton Wilde Sapte, highlights Peter Arden QC of Enterprise Chambers (1983 call) as: "An absolutely excellent barrister. Clever, committed, hard working and a terrific team player, he is a good allrounder." Elsewhere, prior to taking silk in July, he was seen as "one of the very best juniors, my automatic first choice" and "a great asset to any case".
STEPHEN ATHERTON QC
At 3-4 South Square, Stephen Atherton QC (1989 call), who has particular expertise in sports-related insolvencies, "always prepares thoroughly, has a tremendous grasp of detail and knowledge of the law". He is also described as: "A hugely experienced junior at the top end – aggressive and persuasive in court."

ANDREW BAKER QC
There is no shortage of up-and-coming younger barristers ready to take up the baton from Iain Milligan QC and company at 20 Essex Street, where Andrew Baker QC (1988 call) led a group of respected juniors, before becoming a QC. "Baker is very bright, responds very quickly and is easy to work with," comments one City partner. "That set has really come on in strength over the last few years."

ROBERT BRIGHT QC
A highly-rated talent at 7 Kings Bench Walk is Robert Bright QC, a 1987 call whose sharp intellect ensures his performance lives up to his name. His expertise on complex protection and indemnity club work is cited as a key strength by one veteran shipping partner. Bright also has a considerable pedigree for insurance and reinsurance work. "Bright is a good man to work with. We have complete confidence in him," adds the partner.

NEIL CALVER QC
Brick Court's "highly respected" Neil Calver QC (1981 call) was the only senior junior at the top set to be made a silk this summer, but is seen as part of the younger generation of barristers who will help maintain chambers' position in the market. Calver has a broad practice, in which litigators have highlighted his insurance and reinsurance expertise as being of particular note. "Calver is highly personable – a reason he is so highly regarded, as well as for his obvious ability," explains one admirer.

JAMES CROSS QC
The experienced James Cross QC (1985 call), of Four Pump Court, is recommended for his professional negligence expertise and also wins accolades for his work in the construction sphere. Recent reported cases in which he has appeared include Linden Homes South East v LBH Wembley, Luke v Kingsley Smith and Barclays Bank v Martin & Mortimer.

ANTHONY DE GARR ROBINSON QC
Anthony De Garr Robinson QC (1987 call), of One Essex Court, is often named as a leading individual in civil fraud.

MARTIN FORDE QC
At 1 Crown Office Row, Martin Forde QC (1984 call) is popular for "his application, understanding of the law and ability to work as part of the team" among the leading clinical negligence specialists who instruct him. With expertise on both the claimant and defendant sides, Forde has wide experience acting for the NHS litigation authority. Forde's professional negligence expertise is also noted by litigators.

DAVID FOXTON QC
Essex Court's David Foxton QC (1989 call) received several positive mentions in Legal Week's recent litigators polls for his insurance and shipping practice. One of five successful silk applicants at the leading set, Foxton is recognised as one of the leading barristers to succeed Essex Court veterans including Gordon Pollock QC and Michael Thomas QC.

DAVID HALPERN QC
 Seen as leading the way at Four New Square is David Halpern QC, a 1978 call who until his appointment as QC in July was seen as "easily the equal of some silks", according to one admirer to have recently instructed him. "He has a very good understanding of the role of a solicitor," adds the partner, pointing to his strength on solicitors' liability claims, while a senior City lawyer cites his ability on technical property issues as another string to his bow.

PHILIP JONES QC
 Philip Jones QC, of Serle Court, (1985 call) is "tremendously analytical. He has an exceptional depth of knowledge and is a commanding advocate on his feet – clever and authoritative." Jones appeared in the landmark test case Re Spectrum Plus (House of Lords) [2005]; (Court of Appeal) [2004] Ch 337; challenging the decision in Siebe Gorman that a bank could create a fixed charge over book debts by a mere direction to pay the proceeds into a current account.

JONATHAN KARAS QC
 A number of property juniors showed promise in Legal Week's research earlier this year, but Wilberforce Chambers' Jonathan Karas QC (1986 call) stands out as receiving particularly high praise from the litigators and real estate specialists polled.

JAMES MELLOR QC
 Eight New Square's James Mellor QC (1986 call) receives a wide range of favourable comments. Prior to his successful silk application, he was regarded as "very good at handling a trial by himself." One partner says: "His quiet style can be very effective, he has an under-stated charm that works well in court. Clients really like him."

JONATHAN NASH QC
Three Verulam Buildings' Jonathan Nash QC (1986 call) stands out, according to the litigators polled. Nash is "impressive", "has a good intellect; provides great support in the most complex trials" and "a really good team player, which is so important in the big cases".

CRAIG ORR QC
 Craig Orr QC (1986 call), of Fountain Court, was identified in a Legal Week poll for his talent, especially in the field of conflicts and private international law. He has a broad commercial litigation practice, having worked on several high-profile banking and finance cases including JP Morgan v PrimaCom (2005).

TIMOTHY OTTY QC
 Twenty Essex Street's commercial, insurance and human rights barrister Timothy Otty QC (1990 call) was singled out as a "leading junior" and "an incredible mind" in Legal Week's litigators' polls before becoming a QC in this summer's silk round – the youngest member of the Bar to submit a successful silk application. He appeared alongside veteran Sir Sydney Kentridge QC in Rasul et al v George W Bush et al in 2004, when the court held that detainees at Guantanamo Bay were entitled to challenge their detention in US courts. As a result of his human rights pedigree, Otty is regularly asked by the International Bar Association for assistance with their international judicial training programmes which has seen judges in Iraq trained.

KHAWAR QURESHI QC
 Serle Court's Khawar Qureshi QC (1990 call) is described by one fellow barrister as "a thought leader" in his work. As well as being a respected commercial law practitioner and Treasury counsel, Qureshi has worked on a string of cases associated with terrorism, torture and extradition. Indeed, Qureshi is a member of the team of barristers currently representing the US Government in a landmark case that will determine for the first time whether the US Government should be able to extradite a British citizen (in this case Ian Norris, who is accused of price-fixing).

DINAH ROSE QC
 Dinah Rose QC (1989 call), of Blackstone Chambers, was part of the team representing the breweries on this summer's landmark competition case Inntrepreneur Pub Company v Crehan and Courage v Crehan. Rose boasts a consider following for her sex discrimination expertise – she represented ex-Merrill Lynch employee Stephanie Villalba on the former bank-er's multimillion-pound claim. She has also carved out a reputation advising on the human rights aspects of fertility treatment, appearing in the High Court on Evans v Amicus Healthcare and others (2003) and Hadley v Midland Fertility Services and others (2003) for a group of women seeking the right to use frozen embryos against the wishes of their partners.

JAMES ROWLEY QC
James Rowley QC (1987 call) joined Manchester set Byrom Street Chambers in 2004 as the first of two rated senior juniors, the first non-QCs to join the set in its 50-year history. "He was always high up the list of top senior judges on the brink of becoming a QC," says one personal injury specialist. His ability to deal with complex medical evidence and an accompanying attention to detail single him out as a barrister to call on for particularly severe cases of personal injury or clinical negligence.

JON TURNER QC
At Monckton Chambers, the "very effective" competition specialist Jon Turner QC (1988 call), stands out from the crowd and had long been regarded as a certainty to take silk before the QC appointments were announced earlier this year. Turner was standing counsel to the Office of Fair Trading and acted on behalf of the regulator in the replica football kit trial. He is described as "very thorough, very able and very good all round. He has the authority of a first-rate lawyer and delivery of a first-rate advocate – probably because he is both." A senior admirer said: "He is very good at cross-examination and has an immense recall of detail."

ANTONY ZACAROLI QC
Antony Zacaroli QC, also of 3-4 South Square, (1987 call) is seen as "very skillful, analytical and very approachable. Helpful and efficient – a really good advocate".