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‘It is a great honour to be appointed KC and I am delighted to be able to enjoy this moment with my family, friends and colleagues who have all supported me over many years. I am thrilled to be embarking on this new stage of my career.’ Charlotte Ventham KC, 5 Essex Chambers
‘Charlotte’s elevation to King’s Counsel is richly deserved and a source of great pride to Chambers. Having worked closely with Charlotte over the years, I have seen up close her abilities – especially as an advocate – often in difficult and sensitive cases. I look forward to seeing her deploy those same skills in silk, as she develops what will doubtless be a stellar practice.’ Jason Beer KC, Head of 5 Essex Chambers
‘Many of us working at the publicly funded Criminal Bar go above and beyond in order to keep the criminal justice system functioning and in order to try and ensure fairness and proper representation. To me, getting silk is an acknowledgment of my hard work and commitment to these principles.’ Farrhat Arshad KC, Doughty Street Chambers
‘We are immensely proud to have supported Farrhat’s elevation to King’s Counsel. Her crown court and appeals practice is a shining example of our Crime team’s incredible talent.’ Matthew Butchard, Senior Clerk (Crime), Doughty Street Chambers
‘This appointment marks a personal milestone. With a non-traditional background, it was all a distant dream. Those with similar characteristics must never be discouraged. I will continue to strive in providing the highest standards of advocacy. Above all, I am looking forward to challenges in highly complex criminal work.’ M Ayaz Qazi KC, Libertas Chambers (pictured with Practice Clerk, Louis King)
‘The whole of Libertas Chambers congratulates Ayaz upon his thoroughly deserved appointment. He was a founding member in 2020 and his practice since then has gone from strength to strength.’ Simon Csoka, Head of Libertas Chambers
‘It is an absolute honour and privilege to have been appointed. I am forever indebted to everyone at Kings Chambers for their unfailing support and encouragement, and particularly to my Clerks, Mark and Gary, who have supported me every step of the way on my journey to silk.’ Ruth Stockley KC, Kings Chambers (pictured with her Clerks, Gary Smith and Mark Ronson)
‘We are thrilled by Ruth’s selection for KC, showcasing her unwavering dedication and stellar performance throughout her career as a specialist Highways and Planning Law Barrister.’ Gary Smith, Chief Clerk, Kings Chambers
Kate Blumgart KC, Two Harcourt Buildings
‘Two Harcourt Buildings sends its warmest congratulations to Kate Blumgart KC upon her appointment as King’s Counsel. We are very proud of her achievement and wish her continued success for the future.’ Two Harcourt Buildings
‘I am a specialist in a number of disciplines (PI, clinical negligence, family and the COP) and I hope my appointment shows getting silk is possible with a diverse practice. The process was tough but I would advise others to suspend the feelings of self-doubt. It’s rare to feel ready; just go for it.’ Edward Lamb KC, Deka Chambers (pictured with Deputy Senior Clerk, Jaime Brooks)
‘I feel greatly privileged to have been awarded silk, which will hopefully enable me to fulfil my ambition of being involved in the most complex and interesting common law cases as a leading advocate in the future. I was particularly pleased to be able to share my achievement with members of my family who were able to attend the ceremony.’ Paul Stagg KC, Deka Chambers
‘Being appointed King’s Counsel is recognition of two decades representing defendants and prosecuting to the best of my skill and ability because attaining silk is the badge of excellence. My appointment demonstrates that with hard work, determination, and perseverance it matters not where you started. You can achieve anything.’ James Thacker KC, Deka Chambers
‘We are absolutely thrilled for Paul Stagg, James Thacker and Edward Lamb. This is a significant achievement following many years of hard work and commitment. Each of our new silks thoroughly deserves their appointment.’ Jacob Levy KC and Simon Readhead KC, Joint Heads of Deka Chambers
‘It is a great honour to be appointed KC and I am delighted to be able to enjoy this moment with my family, friends and colleagues who have all supported me over many years. I am thrilled to be embarking on this new stage of my career.’ Charlotte Ventham KC, 5 Essex Chambers
‘Charlotte’s elevation to King’s Counsel is richly deserved and a source of great pride to Chambers. Having worked closely with Charlotte over the years, I have seen up close her abilities – especially as an advocate – often in difficult and sensitive cases. I look forward to seeing her deploy those same skills in silk, as she develops what will doubtless be a stellar practice.’ Jason Beer KC, Head of 5 Essex Chambers
‘Many of us working at the publicly funded Criminal Bar go above and beyond in order to keep the criminal justice system functioning and in order to try and ensure fairness and proper representation. To me, getting silk is an acknowledgment of my hard work and commitment to these principles.’ Farrhat Arshad KC, Doughty Street Chambers
‘We are immensely proud to have supported Farrhat’s elevation to King’s Counsel. Her crown court and appeals practice is a shining example of our Crime team’s incredible talent.’ Matthew Butchard, Senior Clerk (Crime), Doughty Street Chambers
‘This appointment marks a personal milestone. With a non-traditional background, it was all a distant dream. Those with similar characteristics must never be discouraged. I will continue to strive in providing the highest standards of advocacy. Above all, I am looking forward to challenges in highly complex criminal work.’ M Ayaz Qazi KC, Libertas Chambers (pictured with Practice Clerk, Louis King)
‘The whole of Libertas Chambers congratulates Ayaz upon his thoroughly deserved appointment. He was a founding member in 2020 and his practice since then has gone from strength to strength.’ Simon Csoka, Head of Libertas Chambers
‘It is an absolute honour and privilege to have been appointed. I am forever indebted to everyone at Kings Chambers for their unfailing support and encouragement, and particularly to my Clerks, Mark and Gary, who have supported me every step of the way on my journey to silk.’ Ruth Stockley KC, Kings Chambers (pictured with her Clerks, Gary Smith and Mark Ronson)
‘We are thrilled by Ruth’s selection for KC, showcasing her unwavering dedication and stellar performance throughout her career as a specialist Highways and Planning Law Barrister.’ Gary Smith, Chief Clerk, Kings Chambers
Kate Blumgart KC, Two Harcourt Buildings
‘Two Harcourt Buildings sends its warmest congratulations to Kate Blumgart KC upon her appointment as King’s Counsel. We are very proud of her achievement and wish her continued success for the future.’ Two Harcourt Buildings
‘I am a specialist in a number of disciplines (PI, clinical negligence, family and the COP) and I hope my appointment shows getting silk is possible with a diverse practice. The process was tough but I would advise others to suspend the feelings of self-doubt. It’s rare to feel ready; just go for it.’ Edward Lamb KC, Deka Chambers (pictured with Deputy Senior Clerk, Jaime Brooks)
‘I feel greatly privileged to have been awarded silk, which will hopefully enable me to fulfil my ambition of being involved in the most complex and interesting common law cases as a leading advocate in the future. I was particularly pleased to be able to share my achievement with members of my family who were able to attend the ceremony.’ Paul Stagg KC, Deka Chambers
‘Being appointed King’s Counsel is recognition of two decades representing defendants and prosecuting to the best of my skill and ability because attaining silk is the badge of excellence. My appointment demonstrates that with hard work, determination, and perseverance it matters not where you started. You can achieve anything.’ James Thacker KC, Deka Chambers
‘We are absolutely thrilled for Paul Stagg, James Thacker and Edward Lamb. This is a significant achievement following many years of hard work and commitment. Each of our new silks thoroughly deserves their appointment.’ Jacob Levy KC and Simon Readhead KC, Joint Heads of Deka Chambers
Sam Townend KC explains the Bar Council’s efforts towards ensuring a bright future for the profession
Giovanni D’Avola explores the issue of over-citation of unreported cases and the ‘added value’ elements of a law report
Louise Crush explores the key points and opportunities for tax efficiency
Westgate Wealth Management Ltd is a Partner Practice of FTSE 100 company St. James’s Place – one of the top UK Wealth Management firms. We offer a holistic service of distinct quality, integrity, and excellence with the aim to build a professional and valuable relationship with our clients, helping to provide them with security now, prosperity in the future and the highest standard of service in all of our dealings.
Is now the time to review your financial position, having reached a career milestone? asks Louise Crush
If you were to host a dinner party with 10 guests, and you asked them to explain what financial planning is and how it differs to financial advice, you’d receive 10 different answers. The variety of answers highlights the ongoing need to clarify and promote the value of financial planning.
Most of us like to think we would risk our career in order to meet our ethical obligations, so why have so many lawyers failed to hold the line? asks Flora Page
If your current practice environment is bringing you down, seek a new one. However daunting the change, it will be worth it, says Anon Barrister
Creating advocacy opportunities for juniors is now the expectation but not always easy to put into effect. Tom Mitcheson KC distils developing best practice from the Patents Court initiative already bearing fruit
National courts are now running the bulk of the world’s war crimes cases and corporate prosecutions are part of this growing trend, reports Chris Stephen
Sam Townend KC explains the Bar Council’s efforts towards ensuring a bright future for the profession
