Clifford Chance (CC), Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Hogan Lovells are among five law firms securing solicitor-advocate Queen's Counsel (QCs) in the 2015 silk round.

Five solicitor-advocates are included in the 93-strong QC round: CC construction, litigation and disputes partner Audley Sheppard; Freshfields arbitrator Peter Turner; Hogan Lovells arbitrator Simon Nesbitt; Boies Schiller & Flexner's Wendy Miles and King & Spalding's Thomas Sprange.

Nesbitt is set to leave Hogan Lovells in March to pursue a career at the bar, though it is not yet clear where he will be joining. His forthcoming departure means Miami partner Daniel Gonzalez is now sole head of the firm's global arbitration practice.

In total, nine solicitor advocates applied for silk, an increase on the seven applications received in 2014 and two applicants in both 2012 and 2013.

Overall this year's silk round is down from 100 in 2014. The number of successful women applicants rose to 25, up from 18 last year, out of 42 female applicants – the same figure as last year. An additional female applicant withdrew before interview.

However, the number of successful ethnic minority candidates fell, with 10 of the 24 applicants declaring an ethnic origin other than white appointed. This compares with 13 out of 32 such applicants last year. 

Nine applicants aged over 50 were successful, with the youngest new QC 38-years' old and the eldest 58. 

Helen Pitcher, chair of the QC selection panel said:  "We remain concerned that the number of female applicants remains stubbornly low, but I am pleased that of those women who did apply, 58% were successful. BAME applicants had exactly the same success rate (42%) as other applicants."

The new QCs are appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Lord Chancellor, Chris Grayling, who is advised by a 10-strong selection panel. 

2015 QC round in full: 

Christine Henson – 1 Crown Office Row
Deirdre Fottrell – 1 Garden Court
Francesca Wiley – 1 Garden Court
Darren Howe – 1 Garden Court Family Law Chambers
Andrew Bagchi – 1 Garden Court, Family Law Chambers
Stephen Trowell – 1 Hare Court
Justin Warshaw – 1 Hare Court
Francis Fitzpatrick – 11 New Square
Hugo Cuddigan – 11 South Square
Marcia Shekerdemian – 11 Stone Buildings
Akhlaq Choudhury – 11kbw (Chambers of James Goudie QC)
William Audland – 12 King's Bench Walk
Riel Karmy-Jones – 18 Red Lion Court
Jason Bartfeld – 187 Fleet Street
Christine Agnew – 2 Bedford Row
Mark Trafford – 23 Essex Street
James Hines – 3 Raymond Buildings
Neil Hext – 4 New Square
Jamie Smith – 4 New Square
Benjamin Williams – 4 New Square
John Tughan – 4 Paper Buildings
Alison Grief – 4 Paper Buildings
Christopher Hames – 4 Paper Buildings
Benjamin Pilling – 4 Pump Court
Dijendra Basu – 5 Essex Court
Thomas Allen – 5 Paper Buildings
Annabel Darlow – 6 KBW College Hill
James House – 7 Bedford Row
Justin Rouse – 9 Bedford Row
James Waddington – 9-12 Bell Yard
Catherine Brunner – Albion Chambers
Andrew George – Blackstone Chambers
Andreas Gledhill – Blackstone Chambers
Wendy Miles – Boies Schiller & Flexner LLP
Simon Birt – Brick Court Chambers
Christopher Henley – Carmelite Chambers
Adam Kane – Carmelite Chambers
Thomas Raphael – Chambers of Iain Milligan QC, 20 Essex St
Audley Sheppard – Clifford Chance LLP
Rachel Crasnow – Cloisters
Alison Pople – Cloth Fair Chambers
Marc Willems – Cobden House Chambers
James Ageros – Crown Office Chambers
Muhammed Haque – Crown Office Chambers
Julia Cheetham – Deans Court Chambers
Andrew Burns – Devereux Chambers
Jolyon Maugham – Devereux Chambers
Rupert Bowers – Doughty Street Chambers
Richard Fisher – Doughty Street Chambers
Eleanor Hill – Doughty Street Chambers
Jonathan Mann – Doughty Street Chambers
Rufina Weereratne – Doughty Street Chambers
David Craig – Essex Court Chambers
Ricky Diwan – Essex Court Chambers
Nathan Pillow – Essex Court Chambers
David Scorey – Essex Court Chambers
Janet Bignell – Falcon Chambers
Rhiannon Jones – Farrar's Building
Andrew Fraser-Urquhart – Francis Taylor Building
Hereward Phillpot – Francis Taylor Building
Peter Turner – Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
Martin Rutherford – Furnival Chambers
Damian Garrido – Harcourt Chambers
Malcolm Sheehan – Henderson Chambers
Simon Nesbitt – Hogan Lovells International LLP
Jonathan Lee – Keating Chambers
Jane Lemon – Keating Chambers
Thomas Sprange – King and Spalding
Daniel Kolinsky – Landmark Chambers
Lisa Roberts – Lincoln House Chambers
Andrew Ayres – Maitland Chambers
Daniel Margolin – Maitland Chambers
Zachary Douglas – Matrix Chambers
Anthony Hudson – Matrix Chambers
George Peretz – Monckton Chambers
Meredith Pickford – Monckton Chambers
Samuel Green – New Park Court Chambers
Nageena Khalique – No5 Chambers
Edmund Nourse – One Essex Court
Zoe O'Sullivan – One Essex Court
Angela Rafferty – One Paper Buildings
John Kimbell – Quadrant Chambers
Michael Nolan – Quadrant Chambers
John Passmore – Quadrant Chambers
Gary Blaker – Selborne Chambers
Stephen Eyre – St. Philips Chambers
Amanda Hardy – Tax Chambers
Andrew O'Connor – Temple Garden Chambers
Vikram Sachdeva – Thirty Nine Essex Street
Marion Smith – Thirty Nine Essex Street Chambers
Nicholas Stonor – Trinity Chambers
Clare Stanley – Wilberforce Chambers
Steven Thompson – XXIV Old Buildings