“Don’t worry George, most people get turned down on their first application. You’re bound to get it next year.” That was the friendly advice offered to my father in 1970 by Dick Taverne QC MP, his old Balliol chum and a close government colleague of the then Labour Lord Chancellor, Lord Gardiner. As a nine-year-old, I vividly remember the April morning the following year when George Carman first called himself QC – it was the happiest day of his life.
Last summer’s crop of 175 QCs secured a double first: the first new silks since 2003 and the first to be appointed by the Lord Chancellor under a new system – recommended by an independent selection panel from 443 applicants. It had taken a year. Applications opened on 19 July, 2005 with appointments announced on 20 July, 2006. With the 2007 applications already being sorted, what is the new system like? Does it fare any better than the old ‘soundings’ in finding the best candidates; and what tips can the new QCs offer future applicants?
