Queen's Counsel 2020 Announcements

The Faculty welcomes the appointment of Professor Jane Stapleton as a Queen’s Counsel honoris causa. The names of this year’s new honorary and practising QCs were announced by the Ministry of Justice on 16 January 2020.

Professor Stapleton is a member of the Faculty of Law, and Master of Christ's College. Her work has largely focussed on private law, and she is best known for her continuing work on causation and the duty of care in the law of obligations, such as the law of torts. She is internationally acknowledged as an expert in these areas. Her research publications have made a major contribution to the shape and development of the law by elucidating fundamental conceptual areas. Her work is frequently referred to with approval by the senior judiciary in judgments and lectures. In 2015 she became a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy, and from 2004 has served as the only foreign member of the Council of the American Law Institute.

The Faculty also wishes to congratulate alumnae Professor Judith Masson and Professor Eva Lomnicka who were also appointed Queen’s Counsel honoris causa.

The rank of QC honoris causa is conferred by The Queen on the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor to lawyers who have made a 'major contribution to the law of England and Wales outside practice in the courts'. Barristers and solicitors may be appointed as QCs in recognition of their excellence in advocacy. Since the late nineteenth century a small number of honorary QCs have also been appointed each year, often academic lawyers whose work has advanced the understanding of English law and influenced its development. 10 Honorary QCs were appointed this year in addition to 114 practising QCs.

The Faculty also warmly welcomes the appointment of a large number of Cambridge graduates as practising Queen's Counsel.

The Lord Chancellor will preside over the appointment ceremony, where the rank will formally be bestowed upon successful applicants, on 16 March 2020. Further details are available from the Ministry of Justice website.

The Cambridge graduates taking silk are as follows:

If you are a Cambridge graduate who was awarded silk this year but do not feature on the list, then our records may be incomplete.  We are always delighted to hear from our alumni, so please contact our Development Associate Clare Gordon at cg685@cam.ac.uk or on 01223 762894 to update our information.