The latest round of QC appointments has finally been made public – 18 months after the previous batch of silks were appointed – with just under 100 barristers set to claim the elite kite-mark.

The list, published today (22 January), sees 98 lawyers successfully gain QC status. Just under a third (29%) of candidates were successful, with the QC selection body receiving a total of 333 applications.

The new silks – who include 20 women and four candidates from ethnic minority backgrounds – will take up the award at an official ceremony held on 28 March.

Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom European arbitration chief Paul Mitchard is the sole solicitor to get the nod from half a dozen applicants.

Among leading sets, Blackstone Chambers and Brick Court Chambers each gain three new silks, with Essex Court Chambers picking up four new silks and One Essex Court adding two. Fountain Court Chambers also saw its ranks of QCs swell by two.

The figures represent a sharp drop in the number of lawyers gaining silk, with 175 claiming the revamped kite-mark from among 446 hopefuls – representing almost 40% – in July 2006.

That marked the first batch of new silks since an overhaul of the QC system designed to introduce greater transparency into the selection process handed responsibility for appointments to a nine-member panel chaired by Sir Duncan Nichol.

Nichol said: "QCs have always been highly regarded for their forensic and advocacy skills. These appointments maintain the high standards expected of a silk."

He added: "The standard for appointment is very high. If you have not been appointed that does not mean that you are not a valued and perfectly competent advocate."

Bar Council chairman Timothy Dutton QC called for further streamlining of the process to ensure new silks were made up annually, having earlier this month told Legal Week that an overly bureaucratic system would deter potential applicants.

The results of a paper looking into the issue are expected shortly, with Dutton indicated that he would like to kick off the new silk round "fairly soon" to ensure a fresh round of appointments can be made in January 2009.

Talkback: So… was it worth the wait? Is the selection process still credible? Click here to have your say.