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PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MONDAY 4 MARCH 2013

THREE NEW MEMBERS APPOINTED TO
THE QC APPOINTMENTS SELECTION PANEL

Two new lay members and one new barrister member have been appointed to the QC Appointments Selection Panel.

Martin Mann QC is the new barrister member. He has been in Silk at the Chancery Bar since 1983 and sits as a deputy High Court Judge in the Chancery Division. He is joint Head of Chambers at XXIV Old Buildings.

The new lay members are Sir Alex Allan, who is currently the Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests and has had a distinguished career at the highest levels of the Civil Service; and Quinton Quayle, a former British Ambassador to Thailand, and to Romania. Commenting on the appointments, Desmond Hudson, and Oliver Delany, the Directors of QC Appointments, said:
‘We are extremely pleased to welcome these three new members to the QC Appointments Selection Panel. All three are distinguished professionals in their respective fields and their knowledge and skills will reinforce the QC Appointments process. We look forward to another successful Silk round as we proceed with the 2013-14 competition.’

Notes to editors:
1. The full list of QC Selection Panel members for 2013-14 will be:
• Helen Pitcher (Chairman – appointed 2012, appointed lay member 2009)
• Sir Alex Allan (lay member – appointed 2013)
• Sir Colin Budd KCMG (lay member – appointed 2009)
• Sir Alistair Graham (lay member – appointed 2011)
• Sir Anthony May (retired senior judicial member – appointed 2012)
• Linda Lee (senior solicitor member – appointed 2011)
• Martin Mann QC (senior barrister member – appointed 2013)
• Frances Oldham QC (senior barrister member – appointed 2012)
• Quinton Quayle (lay member – appointed 2013)
• Razi Shah (senior solicitor member – appointed 2009)

The new appointments arise because Lord Carlile of Berriew CBE QC and Felicity Huston are standing down from the Selection Panel at the end of the 2012-13 competition.

2. The Selection Panel is made up of a retired senior judge, senior lawyers (including both barristers and solicitors) and distinguished lay (not legally qualified) people. The work of the Panel is shared equally between lay and legally qualified members. The Panel Chair is always a lay member. The appointments were made following open competition. The barrister member was recruited by means of advertisement among barristers. The lay
members were recruited by means of a public advertisement.

3. Martin Mann QC works from the Chambers at XXIV Old Buildings, Lincoln’s Inn in London. He was called to the Bar in 1968 and took Silk in 1983. He specialises in International and domestic litigation and arbitration, in the fields of commercial, civil fraud and asset tracing, company, financial services and structured investments, insolvency, trusts and business law. A substantial proportion of his practice involves cross border litigation.

4. Sir Alex Allan KCB has had a long career at the highest levels of the civil service, including as Principal Private Secretary (Chief of Staff) to the Prime Minister and to the Chancellor of the Exchequer; Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Justice; High Commissioner to Australia; and Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee. He is
currently the Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests.

5. Quinton Quayle is a retired British Diplomat, He entered the Foreign Office in 1977. He served as British Ambassador to Romania from 2002 until 2006, after which he was concurrently appointed as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand and (nonresident) Ambassador to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

6. For further information please contact the QC Appointments Secretariat on 020 7831 0020

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MONDAY 5 MARCH 2012

HELEN PITCHER APPOINTED CHAIR
OF QUEEN’S COUNSEL SELECTION PANEL
AND TWO NEW MEMBERS APPOINTED TO THE PANEL

Helen Pitcher has been appointed as the new lay Chair of the Queen’s Counsel Selection Panel, replacing Professor Dame Joan Higgins DBE. The Panel considers applicants for the award of Queen’s Counsel, which is given to those who demonstrate excellence in advocacy in the higher courts following an objective assessment.

The Selection Panel is independent of the legal professional bodies and of Government, and includes lay members, as well as barristers and solicitors. In addition, a new retired judicial member and a new barrister member have been appointed to the Panel: Sir Anthony May until 2011 President of the Queen’s Bench Division and Frances Oldham QC, formerly Head of Chambers at 36 Bedford Row, and a Deputy High Court Judge (Family Division).

Commenting on the appointment of Helen Pitcher, Oliver Delany and Desmond Hudson, the Directors of Queens Counsel Appointments Ltd, said:

“Helen Pitcher has been a lay member of the Panel since 2009, and this has given her a thorough understanding of the role and the value of Queen’s Counsel and of the work of the Panel. We are delighted that she will now be able to lead the work of the Panel. We congratulate Helen on her appointment and feel sure that her experience will ensure
continuation of the excellent work carried out by Professor Dame Joan Higgins, the outgoing Chair, over the past six years.

We are extremely grateful to Joan Higgins for her very considerable contribution to the work of Panel since the new arrangements were put in place in 2005. We wish her well for the future.”

Delany and Hudson added:
‘We are also delighted to welcome two new members to the QC Appointments Selection Panel. Sir Anthony May and Frances Oldham QC are both distinguished lawyers in their fields and will bring considerable knowledge and skills which will strengthen the QC appointments process.

We also pay tribute to their predecessors, Sir David Keene and Jean Ritchie QC, who are now standing down from the Selection Panel at the end of their terms of office.’

Notes to editors
1. For further information please contact the QC Appointments Secretariat on 0207 831 0020.
2. The members of the Selection Panel for the 2012-13 competition will be: • Helen Pitcher (Chair – appointed 2012, appointed lay Panel member 2009)
• Sir Colin Budd KCMG (lay member – appointed 2009)
• Lord (Alex) Carlile of Berriew CBE QC (senior barrister member – appointed 2009)
• Sir Alistair Graham (lay member – appointed 2011)
• Felicity Huston (lay member – appointed 2011)
• Linda Lee (senior solicitor member – appointed 2011)
• Sir Anthony May (retired senior judicial member – appointed 2012)
• Frances Oldham QC (senior barrister member – appointed 2012)
• Razi Shah (senior solicitor member – appointed 2009)

3. It is expected that the new Queen’s Counsel appointments as a result of the current round of applications will be announced by the Ministry of Justice on 29th February 2012.
4. Professor Dame Joan Higgins is standing down as Chair of the Selection Panel at the end of her 3 year appointment as Chair. She has been a lay member of the Panel since its inception in 2005. In addition, Sir David Keene is standing down after two years on the Selection Panel and Jean Ritchie QC is retiring at the end of a 5-
year term. Helen Pitcher
5. A qualified psychometrician, Helen Pitcher was Chief Executive of Cedar TM Ltd (a specialist Human Resource Consultancy) from 1990 – 2008, when it was bought by the Savile Group PLC., of which she is a Director. She has been the Chief Executive and Deputy Chair of IDDAS (which provides experience-based mentoring and coaching for senior executives) since 2008. She was formerly a lay representative on the PCC of the Bar Council, until 2005.

Sir Anthony May
6. Sir Anthony May joined Keating Chambers in 1968 after teaching classics. He took Silk in 1979 and was appointed to the High Court Bench in 1991 and to the Court of Appeal in 1997, becoming Deputy Head of Civil Justice and responsible for the Civil Procedure Rules. In 2008, he became President of the Queen’s Bench Division, and retired in 2011.

Frances Oldham QC
7. Frances Oldham QC was Head of Chambers at 36 Bedford Row, London, for 8 years until 2011. She is a Deputy High Court Judge (Family Division), Crown Court Recorder and a Bencher at Gray’s Inn. Former Leader of the Midland Circuit 2002- 2005. She is regularly instructed in high profile cases in Family Law and in serious crime.