And the rising stars. Unsurprisingly, the most highly-rated juniors are concentrated in IP chambers

According to one leading IP practitioner what he looks for is juniors who are "cleverer than us". Juniors getting the most mentions are concentrated in the IP chambers. One junior in particular is Andrew Waugh at Three New Square, described as "a bit of a star - he is excellent, very hard-working and very capable".

He is the favourite of many of the firms and solicitors involved in this area of work, who considered him their "first choice. He is in great demand and will probably be the next silk at the IP Bar. He is often instructed under Simon Thorley QC, and that combination is seen as a winning team, but he is also instructed without a leader, and is the best of the lot".

There is a whole raft of juniors at the same set who are highly-regarded, and more importantly, liked. The more senior Guy Burkill also featured prominently as being "a little more adventurous. He is especially good for high-tech cases".

Also in demand at this set is Henry Carr, "if you can get him". He is rated very highly on copyright and "certainly knows his onions".

The more junior juniors at this set who stand out are Colin Birss and Justin Turner who are "both shaping up well - Turner is particularly good on heavy litigation in biotechnology and on pharmaceuticals".

Denise McFarland is "an excellent advocate and has a way with the court".

At 8 New Square, Adrian Speck is "a rising star", while Michael Tappin is "a good team player, and excellent on patents". Richard Meade, Robert Onslow, and the more junior Nicholas Shea have good reputations, as has James Mellor for trademarks.

Senior junior Fiona Clark at this set is a "good punchy junior, hard-working, and with focused aggression". Daniel Alexander also rates a number of mentions, while Charlotte May has been "excellent".

Richard Arnold at 11 South Square "knows his own mind, and the view he reaches on a point is usually the right one". Others standing out in this set are the "very sensible" Richard Hacon, together with Iain Purvis, Heather Lawrence, Mark Vanhegan, and the more junior Piers Acland.

At 1 Essex Court, Emma Hinsworth, who is usually instructed in tandem with fellow set member Geoffrey Hobbs QC, is "getting in-depth experience and is one to watch". For a junior who is not formally regarded as part of the IP Bar, Michael Bloch at the same set is "terrific".

Over at 19 Old Buildings, Michael Hicks, Graham Shipley and Peter Colley were singled out for mention, as were Ashley Roughton at One Raymond Buildings for his "very good technical knowledge" and Guy Tritton at the same set. Julia Clark and Paul Dickens at 5 New Square also rate honourable mentions.