A single solicitor was among the 84 Queen’s Counsel appointments announced today.

Karyl Nairn (pictured), litigation and arbitration partner at international firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom was the only successful solicitor-advocate to be awarded the rank.

Just two of the 183 applications were from solicitor advocates. In last year’s competition neither of the two solicitor-advocates applying was successful.

Of this year’s successful applicants, 14 were women (54% of the 26 who applied), a slight drop on last year’s proportion, 58% of the 40 who applied.

Once again, female applicants were proportionately more successful than men, although men still account for most of the applicants and most appointments.

Three applicants who declared an ethnic origin other than white (14% of the 21 who applied and 2% of all applicants), were successful – a lower proportion than in 2011-12 when six of these applicants (40% of all non-white applicants) were appointed.

Four employed advocates applied this year, but none appointed. In 2011-12, one of the three employed applicants was appointed.

The youngest successful applicant on this occasion is 36 and the oldest 61.

Chairman of the independent selection panel Helen Pitcher said: ‘I am very pleased at the announcement of the 84 new silks. I congratulate each one of them.’

She said the selection process is ‘exacting’ but the panel had been impressed by the ‘extreme high quality’ of the applicants.