King's Counsel | |
|---|---|
| Awarded by | The Sovereign |
| Precedence | 40 |
| Post-nominals | KC |
King's Counsel (KC) is a title given to senior barristers and solicitor-advocates who have shown excellence in advocacy in the higher courts. Appointment is known as "taking silk", from the silk gowns that King's Counsel wear in court, and the holder uses the letters KC after their name.
Contents
History
The first King's Counsel was appointed at the end of the sixteenth century, when Francis Bacon was made Queen's Counsel Extraordinary by Elizabeth I. The title changes between King's Counsel and Queen's Counsel with the Sovereign. It was long open only to barristers; solicitors who had qualified as solicitor-advocates became eligible in the 1990s, and very few have been appointed.
Notable holders
- Sir Oliver Howard, who took silk in 2016, one of the few solicitors ever to do so.
In UKOGB
The title is recorded on the website as an honour and adds KC after the holder's name. It is usually held by barristers regulated by the Bar Standards Board and solicitor-advocates regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
This page was last edited on 3 November 2026.