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Silk day: Boris takes Brexit break to celebrate wife’s QC appointment

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By Thomas Connelly on

Social media awash with full bottomed wigs and silver buckled shoes

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Barristers have taken to Twitter to celebrate their new-found silk status as another QC appointment day comes and goes.

Dressed in full bottomed wigs, silver buckled shoes and white gloves, the soon to be silks descended on Westminster Hall earlier today in chauffeur driven limousines.

With aspiring silks forking out £2,160 just to apply — and a further £3,000 plus VAT if successful — 107 were deemed worthy enough for QC status this year.

Of those selected back in January, only 25 (23%) were female, leaving males to snatch up the remaining 82 awards (77%) on offer.

Big names given the nod by the appointments panel included One Crown Office Row human rights barrister Marina Wheeler QC (pictured below with husband Boris Johnson) and 39 Essex Chambers’ environmental law expert Justine Thornton QC (Ed Miliband’s wife).

Legal affairs journalist Joshua Rozenberg (pictured alongside Law Society president Jonathan Smithers) was also in attendance, bagging an honorary silk title for his contributions to law outside the courtroom.

In what is becoming a social media tradition, a host of other solicitors, barristers and proud clerks couldn’t resist taking to Twitter to trumpet their colleagues’ achievements.

Henderson Chambers Toby Riley-Smith QC

5 Paper Buildings Emma Deacon QC

Temple Garden Chambers Cathryn McGahey QC

Furnival Chambers Stephen Moses QC

Queen Elizabeth Buildings James Ewins QC

One Crown Office Row’s Jeremy Hyam QC, Owain Thomas QC, Clodagh Bradley QC, Marina Wheeler QC, Henry Witcomb QC Peter Sketon QC

Congratulations to all those who received their title today.