Five solicitors are among 93 Queen’s Counsel appointments announced today by the independent selection panel. This is the same number as last year, though the number of solicitor applicants was up slightly, from seven in 2013/14 to nine.

All five are arbitration specialists at City/international firms, as was the case in 2013/14.

They are:

  • Wendy Miles, who recently moved to US-headquartered firm Boies Schiller & Flexner as head of international arbitration in London after 15 years of service with Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr;
  • Simon Nesbitt, consultant at Hogan Lovells;
  • Audley Sheppard, partner at Clifford Chance;
  • Thomas Sprange, partner at King & Spalding; and
  • Peter Turner, partner at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and head of the firm’s international arbitration group in Paris.

Employment and equality law specialist Camilla Palmer (pictured), solicitor and founder of charity Your Employment Settlement Service, is one of five honorary QCs.

The panel received 223 applications, down from 225 last year.

 Of this year’s appointees, 25 were women (of 42 who applied), a higher percentage than last year (18 of 42).

 The number of successful applicants who declared an ethnic origin other than white was 10 (of 24 who applied), again a higher proportion than in 2013/14 (13 of 32).

The appointments are made by the Queen on the advice of the lord chancellor, Chris Grayling, following consideration by the independent Queen’s Counsel selection panel. The 93 will formally become silks at a ceremony on 16 February.

Chairman of the selection panel Helen Pitcher said: ‘We remain concerned that the number of female applicants remains stubbornly low, but I am pleased that of those women who did apply, 58% were successful. BAME applicants had exactly the same success rate (42%) as other applicants.’