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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
Chair of the Bar reflects on 2025
Q&A with criminal barrister Nick Murphy, who moved to New Park Court Chambers on the North Eastern Circuit in search of a better work-life balance
Revolt Cycling in Holborn, London’s first sustainable fitness studio, invites barristers to join the revolution – turning pedal power into clean energy
Rachel Davenport, Co-founder and Director at AlphaBiolabs, reflects on how the company’s Giving Back ethos continues to make a difference to communities across the UK
By Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
AlphaBiolabs has made a £500 donation to Sean’s Place, a men’s mental health charity based in Sefton, as part of its ongoing Giving Back initiative
Professor Dominic Regan and Seán Jones KC present their best buys for this holiday season
Little has changed since Burns v Burns . Cohabiting couples deserve better than to be left on the blasted heath with the existing witch’s brew for another four decades, argues Christopher Stirling
Six months of court observation at the Old Bailey: APPEAL’s Dr Nisha Waller and Tehreem Sultan report their findings on prosecution practices under joint enterprise
Despite its prevalence, autism spectrum disorder remains poorly understood in the criminal justice system. Does Alex Henry’s joint enterprise conviction expose the need to audit prisons? asks Dr Felicity Gerry KC
With automation now deeply embedded in the Department for Work Pensions, Alexander McColl and Alexa Thompson review what we know, what we don’t and avenues for legal challenge
