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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 09 MARCH 2010

PRESS RELEASE FROM BAR COUNCIL AND LAW SOCIETY ON APPOINTMENT
OF SIR DAVID KEENE TO QUEEN’S COUNSEL SELECTION PANEL

SIR DAVID KEENE APPOINTED TO QUEEN’S COUNSEL SELECTION PANEL

Sir David Keene, a retired Lord Justice of Appeal, has been appointed to the Queen’s Counsel Selection Panel, replacing Sir Paul Kennedy, as the judicial member of the independent panel, which assesses applicants for the position of Queen’s Counsel. The award of Queen’s Counsel is given to those who demonstrate excellence in advocacy in the higher courts, following objective assessment by the Panel.

The selection panel is independent, and also includes lay members, as well as senior barristers and solicitors. The judicial member of the Queen’s Counsel Selection Panel must be a retired senior judge. He is appointed by the Chairman of the Bar and the President of the Law Society jointly, after consultation with the Lord Chief Justice.
Sir David Keene was called to the Bar in 1964 by the Inner Temple, of which he later became a bencher and, in 2006, the Treasurer. He became a Q.C. in 1980 and a Recorder in 1989. He practised mainly in public law cases and at planning inquiries, obtaining planning permission for a number of large projects including London City Airport, a second runway at Manchester Airport and several large regional shopping centres, including Blue Water Park in Kent and the Trafford Centre in Manchester. He was Chairman of the Planning Bar Association in 1994. In
that same year, he became a High Court judge, QBD, in which capacity he sat also in the Administrative Court and the Employment Appeal Tribunal. In 2000, he was appointed to the Court of Appeal, from which he retired in 2009.

As well as serving on the Court of Appeal, Sir David Keene has been Chairman of the Judicial Studies Board, responsible for the training of judges and magistrates in England and Wales, and Chairman of its Advisory Committee on Equal Treatment. He is also an Honorary Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford Commenting on the appointment, Des Hudson, the Chief Executive of the Law Society, and David Hobart, the Chief Executive of the Bar Council, said:

‘We are delighted that Sir David Keene has been appointed to the QC Appointments Selection Panel. With his distinguished career and broad range of experience, we believe his appointment will further strengthen the QC Appointments process. We look forward to another successful Silk round in 2010-11.’

– ENDS –

Notes to editors
1. Sir Paul Kennedy, a retired Lord Justice of Appeal, is standing down after participating in two Queen’s Counsel competitions; he served on the Panel between 2008 and 2010.
2. Other members of the Panel are:
Professor Dame Joan Higgins DBE (Chair – appointed 2009, appointed lay Panel member 2005)
Sir Colin Budd KCMG (lay member – appointed 2009)
Lord (Alex) Carlile of Berriew QC (senior barrister member – appointed 2009)
Helen Pitcher (lay member – appointed 2009)
Jean Ritchie QC (senior barrister member – appointed 2006)
Lucy Scott-Moncrieff (senior solicitor member – appointed 2005)
Razi Shah (senior solicitor member – appointed 2009)
Karamjit Singh CBE (lay member – appointed 2005)
The Selection Panel consists of nine members, including a retired senior judge, senior lawyers (both barristers and solicitors) and distinguished lay people.

The judicial member of the Queen’s Counsel Selection Panel must be a retired senior judge. He is appointed by the Chairman of the Bar and the President of the Law Society jointly, after consultation with the Lord Chief Justice.
3. Sir David Keene was called to the Bar in 1964 and became a QC in 1980 and a Recorder in 1989. He practised mainly in public law cases and at planning inquiries, obtaining planning permission for a number of large projects including London City Airport, a second runway at Manchester Airport and several large regional shopping centres, including Blue Water Park in Kent and the Trafford Centre in Manchester. He was Chairman of the Planning Bar Association in 1994.

In 1994 he became a High Court judge, QBD, in which capacity he sat also in the Administrative Court and the Employment Appeal Tribunal. In 2000, he was appointed to the Court of Appeal, from which he retired in 2009. From 2003 to 2007 he was Chairman of the Judicial Studies Board, responsible for the training of judges and magistrates in England and Wales. He was for some years the U.K. Chairman of the Franco-British Judicial Co-operation Committee. He holds an Hon. LL.D from Brunel University, is an Honorary Fellow of the Society of
Advanced Legal Studies and is a member of the Board of the School of Advanced Studies, University of London.

4. For further information please contact the Law Society Press Office on 0207 320 5902.

PRESS RELEASE
129 QUEEN’S COUNSEL APPOINTED IN 2009-10 COMPETITION

The fourth round of appointments as Queen’s Counsel was announced today. These appointments are made following consideration by the independent Selection Panel, which recommends who should receive this highly sought-after award. All those appointed have demonstrated excellence in advocacy in the higher courts.

Professor Dame Joan Higgins, Chair of the QC Selection Panel, said today:

I have great pleasure at the announcement of these 129 names. I warmly congratulate all those whose appointment has been announced today. It is encouraging to see such a wide variety of advocates among the new appointments.

The Selection Panel believes that the quality of applications this year was higher than ever. Nevertheless, inevitably, some applicants have had to be disappointed. The standard for appointment is very high. Even if an advocate
has not been appointed on this occasion it does not mean that he or she is not a valued and effective practitioner.

The Selection Panel would also like to express its warm appreciation to the 1700 assessors who provided evidence on behalf of one or more applicants and without whom the process could not have worked effectively. All the Panel’s
decisions have been based solely on the evidence provided by these assessors and by the applicants themselves.
I am encouraged that the proportion of successful applicants from an ethnic minority background broadly matches that for white applicants. I am also pleased that the number of successful women applicants remains high.

It is disappointing that we have not been able to recommend more solicitors or employed advocates, after the higher number of appointments last year. But all applicants are assessed against a common competency framework and a
common standard of excellence. There are no quotas, and we treat all applications in the same way. I hope that there will be further appointments in future years.

On a personal basis I should also We are publishing a short report giving further information about this year’s
competition, with statistical information relating to successful and unsuccessful applicants. It will be available on our website.

The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Rt. Hon. Jack Straw MP, announced today (under embargo) the names of 129 Queen’s Counsel from 275 applicants.

The 129 (47% of all applicants) appointed this year included:
• 20 women applicants (43% of the 46 who applied). In the previous competition 16 women (55% of 29) were appointed.
• 17 applicants who declared an ethnic origin other than white (49% of the 35 who applied, 13% of all applicants), a higher proportion than in the previous competition when 4 applicants (27%) were appointed.
• 1 solicitor advocate (10% of the 10 who applied). In 2009 4 applications were received of whom 3 (75%) were appointed.
• 6 applicants aged 55 or over (24% of this age group) as at the closing date for applications(compared to 5 applicants (20%) in 2009) Ends

Notes to Editors
1. Queen’s Counsel are appointed by The Queen, on the advice of the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice. He is in turn advised by an independent Selection Panel which receives and considers each application and
makes recommendations as to appointment.
2. The members of the independent Queen’s Counsel Selection Panel are:
Professor Dame Joan Higgins DBE (Chairman)
Lord Carlile of Berriew QC
Sir Colin Budd KCMG
Sir Paul Kennedy
Jean Ritchie QC
Lucy Scott-Moncrieff
Helen Pitcher
Razi Shah
Karamjit Singh CBE
The Panel is supported by its own Secretariat.

3. The scheme was developed by the Bar Council and the Law Society, with the support of the (then) Department for Constitutional Affairs, and approved by the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State (Lord Falconer) in November 2004. Refinements to the scheme were similarly agreed in 2006 building on experience of the first year. The selection process is financed entirely through applicants’ fees. A copy of the agreed Process and further information is available from the Queen’s Counsel Appointments website: www.qcapplications.org.uk

4. Applications closed on 23rd April 2009 and the Selection Panel delivered recommendations to the Secretary of State for Justice on 14th December 2009. Each applicant has been considered against five competencies:
• Understanding and using the law
• Oral and written advocacy
• Working with others
• Diversity
• Integrity

226 of the 275 applicants were interviewed by the Selection Panel. All unsuccessful applicants receive personal feedback on their application. The Panel expects to invite applications for the next round of appointments in March
2010.

5. The new Queen’s Counsel announced today will formally become Silks when they make their declaration before the Lord Chancellor at the ceremony on 22 March 2009.

6. Copies of the Selection Panel’s report are also available on the QCA website. Further information can also be obtained from David Watts, Head of QC Appointments Secretariat 0207 831 0020.