Partners from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Herbert Smith Freehills and Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom are among six solicitor-advocates to have been appointed as QC, marking the largest number of solicitors appointed in a single year.

Freshfields Paris-based public international law head Ben Juratowich, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan partner Michael Young and Skadden's global co-head of international litigation and arbitration David Kavanagh (pictured above) have all been made up to the elite rank.

The other private practice appointments are Herbert Smith Freehills disputes partner Adam Johnson, Bird & Bird sports co-head Jonathan Taylor and King & Spalding international arbitration partner John Savage.

The six are among a total of 113 new QCs appointed today (12 January), after 254 candidates applied, equating to a 44% success rate. Last year there were 237 applicants, of who 107 were successful (45%).

Thirty-one of the new silks are women (27%), up on last year's total of 25 new female QCs (22%). Sixteen applicants who declared an ethnic origin other than white were appointed after 37 applied, a significant increase on the nine ethnic minority QCs appointed last year.

Speaking to Legal Week, Juratowich, who is based in Paris, said: "I feel pleased and grateful to my clients and colleagues that have trusted me with the kinds of cases that have allowed this appointment to be made."

Key cases Juratowich has acted on include advising the government of Chile in proceedings brought against it by Bolivia at the International Court of Justice, concerning Bolivia's claim to sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean; as well as acting for East Mediterranean Gas in four arbitrations against the Republic of Egypt concerning the cessation of gas supply from Egypt to Israel during the Arab Spring.

Young, who recently joined Quinn from Allen & Overy, is a vice-president of the ICC International Court of Arbitration. He has a particular focuses on disputes in the energy and natural resources and chemical sectors.

Kavanagh has been a partner at Skadden since 2009, before which he was a partner at O'Melveny & Myers and Watson Farley & Williams. His practice focuses on international arbitration and cross-border litigation, with career highlights including advising on several major treaty disputes for governments and investors.

King & Spalding's Savage has a global international arbitration practice, acting for governments, corporations and high-net-worth individuals. He splits his time between London and Singapore.

Commercial litigation partner Johnson has spent more than 30 years at Herbert Smith after joining as an articled clerk in 1988. Case highlights include acting for the US Securities & Exchange Commission in asset-freezing proceedings arising from the collapse of software company AremisSoft, and accountant Arthur Andersen on matters stemming from the collapse of Enron.

Bird & Bird sports partner Taylor's recent highlights include acting for the International Tennis Federation on Maria Sharapova's appeal against a two-year drugs ban, and acting for the IAAF on its dispute with Russian athletes and the Russian Olympic Committee over its decision to ban Russian athletes from the Rio Olympics because of doping offences.

Selection panel chairman Helen Pitcher said: "We are pleased that the number of women applying and being successful continues to rise, and that the proportion of women among those appointed is at its highest level ever."

Lord Chancellor Liz Truss added: "I want us to tap into all the talents of our society and today's appointments are a step in the right direction. The number of women and BAME candidates applying and being successful is moving in the right direction."

QC list in full

Catherine Addy – Maitland Chambers Tana Adkin – Charter Chambers Colin Aylott – Carmelite Chambers Kate Bex – 2 Hare Court Gerard Boyle – Serjeants Inn Phillip Bradley – No 5 Chambers Richard Brent – 3 Verulam Buildings Samantha Broadfoot – Landmark Chambers David Brooke – KBW Barristers Chambers Hannah Brown – One Essex Court Louis Browne – Exchange Chambers Edward Burgess – Albion Chambers Gideon Cammerman – 187 Fleet Street Alexis Campbell – 29 Bedford Row Caroline Carberry – Furnival Chambers Matthew Chapman – 1 Chancery Lane Serena Cheng – Atkin Chambers Timothy Clark – 23 Essex Street Sarah Clarke – Serjeants Inn Chambers Simon Colton – One Essex Court Ben Cooper – Old Square Chambers Thomas Cosgrove – Cornerstone Barristers Mark Cotter – 5 St Andrew's Hill James Counsell – Outer Temple Chambers Edward Davies – Erskine Chambers Edward Devereux – Harcourt Chambers Simon Dyer – Cloisters David Elias – 9 Park Place Martin Evans – 33 Chancery Lane John Femi-Ola – 3 Temple Garden Sarah Ford – Brick Court Chambers Caoilfhionn Gallagher – Doughty Street Jeremy Gauntlett – Brick Court Chambers Karim Ghaly – 39 Essex Chambers Orlando Gledhill – One Essex Court William Godwin – 3 Hare Court Caroline Goodwin – Trinity Chambers Nina Goolamali – 2 Temple Gardens William Goudie – Charter Chambers Kate Grange – 39 Essex Chambers Dakis Hagen – Serle Court Jacob Hallam – 6KBW Ivan Hare – Blackstone Chambers Christopher Heather – Tanfield Chambers Michelle Heeley – No5 Chambers Josh Holmes – Monckton Chambers Penelope Howe – Pump Court Chambers Allison Hunter – 23 Essex Street Matthew Hutchings – Cornerstone Barristers Ben Jaffey – Blackstone Chambers Adam Johnson – Herbert Smith Freehills Schona Jolly – Cloisters Gillian Jones – Red Lion Chambers Benjamin Juratowitch – Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Sam Karim – Kings Chambers David Kavanagh – Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom Dominic Kay – Crown Office Chambers Simon Kealey – Zenith Chambers Henry King – Fountain Court Chambers Geoffrey Kingscote – 1 Hare Court Marie Kinsler – 2 Temple Gardens Sara Lawson – Red Lion Chambers Richard Leiper – 11KBW Christopher Lewis – Atkin Chambers Louis Mably – 6KBW Alison Macdonald – Matrix Chambers Maxwell Mallin – Wilberforce Chambers Anna McKenna – 1 King's Bench Walk David McLachlan – 7 Harrington Street Chambers Michael McParland – Quadrant Chambers Naeem Mian – 2 Hare Court Dianne Middleton – Garden Court Chambers Stephen Midwinter – Brick Court Chambers Jonathan Moffett – 11KBW Brenton Molyneux – 29 Bedford Row Sam Momtaz – 1 Garden Court Thomas Montagu-Smith – XXIV Old Buildings Andrew Morgan – St Phillips Chambers Akash Nawbatt – Devereux Chambers Stefano Nuvoloni – No5 Chambers Robert O'Donoghue – Brick Court Chambers Aidan O'Neill – Matrix Chambers Colin Ong – St Philips Gareth Patterson – 6KBW Matthew Phillips – Outer Temple Chambers Debra Powell – Serjeants Inn Chambers Mary Prior – 36 Bedford Row Sadeqa Rahman – One Crown Office Row Matthew Reed – Landmark Chambers David Rees – 5 Stone Buildings Deok Joo Rhee – 39 Essex Chambers Oliver Sanders – One Crown Office Row John Savage – King & Spalding Fiona Scolding – Outer Temple Chambers Paul Shadarevian – Cornerstone Barristers Peter Shaw – 9 Stone Buildings Mathew Sherratt – Carmelite Chambers Dapinder Singh – Carmelite Chambers John Snowden – Crown Office Chambers Brian St. Louis – 15 New Bridge Street Jason Sugarman – 9-12 Bell Yard Andrew Tabachnik – 39 Essex Chambers Jonathan Taylor – Bird & Bird Robert-Jan Temmink – Quadrant Chambers Alexander Thorpe – QEB Mark Twomey – Coram Chambers Edmund Vickers – Red Lion Chambers Anna Vigars – Guildhall Chambers Andrew Wheeler – Seven Bedford Row Alisdair Williamson – 3 Raymond Buildings Natasha Wong – 187 Fleet Street Michael Young – Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan Adam Zellick – Fountain Court Chambers