Other vacancies

Current vacancies:

Barrister Member for King's Counsel (KCA) Selection Panel 

 

Vacancy: Barrister Member for King's Counsel (KCA) Selection Panel (one position)

Term: c.2-year term (commencing immediately until 31 December 2027), possibility of re-appointment to a second term.

 

The Bar Council has been asked to nominate one barrister (with a preference for Civil, Chancery or Commercial experience), to the KCA Selection Panel, beginning February 2026. 

About the KCA Selection Panel

The Panel recommends advocates for appointment as King’s Counsel (KC).  The KC rank identifies excellence in advocacy in the higher courts.  It is the most significant award available to an advocate, whether solicitor or barrister. 

The Selection Panel normally contains eleven members — two senior barristers, two senior solicitors, two retired senior judges and five lay members.  Legal and lay members play an equal part in all the work of the Panel, but the Chair is always drawn from amongst the lay members.  It is essential that all the members should be of a very high calibre: the Panel has significant responsibilities for making decisions with a real impact on the practice of law at the highest level.

About the role

Further information about the Panel can be found in the information pack below.  If you have an enquiry which is not covered by that information, please feel free to contact the Governance and Committees Manager, Justina Naik at [email protected].

Skills and personal attributes

Panel members must be available for a minimum of 32 days a year mostly between July and November.  Appointments will initially be for a two-year period, which may be extended to a maximum of five years.  Meetings will be held in London.  Remuneration is based on a daily rate to reflect the important and demanding nature of the work. 

As a member of the Panel you must be able to demonstrate an ability to sift through complex evidence from multiple sources in order to reach incisive, reliable and reasoned judgements.  To command public confidence and respect, you must display a proven commitment to equality of opportunity and diversity.  You will have well-developed interviewing skills and have held a senior position of authority.   

Subject to the principle of appointment on merit, the professional bodies regard it as important that the composition of the Selection Panel should itself be diverse.  Applications from all sections of the community are welcomed.

 

How to apply

Applicants should send a copy of their CV accompanied by a short written statement stating their suitability for the role and describing their skills and experience, to:

Justina Naik, Governance and Committees Manager at [email protected].

Application close date:  10am, Monday 26 January 2026