Four chambers headed the pack of newly appointed silks in last week's appointments. Pump Court Tax Chambers, headed by Andrew Thornhill QC, has two new Queen's Counsels, as have Anthony Scrivener QC's chambers at 2-3 Gray's Inn Square, R Neville Thomas QC's chambers at 3 Gray's Inn Place and Richard Kidwell QC's chambers at 2 Crown Office Row.

Of the 66 silks appointed, 14 were regional appointments. Liverpool, which had no successful applicants last year, saw two barristers making the list this year: Timothy Holroyde, of Exchange Chambers and Graham Morrow of Derby Square Chambers.

Of 14 ethnic minority applicants, one was successful, the same pattern as in previous years.

Honorary silks included London School of Economics law lecturer Professor Carol Harlow. Only four women made the grade in the silks list, four down on last year. Despite a campaign to encourage women applicants, 40 applied, two down on last year. There were 488 applications in all.

ACTON DAVIS Jonathan James – 4 Pump Court;

AUBREY David John Morgan – 32 Park Place (Cardiff);

BELLAMY Stephen Howard – 1 King's Bench Walk;

BENTHAM Howard Lownds – Peel Court Chambers (Manchester);

BOULDING Philip Vincent – Keating Chambers;

BRANDON Stephen – 24 Old Buildings;

BRISBY John Constant Shannon McBurney – 4 Stone Buildings;

BROWNE Benjamin James – 2 Temple Gardens;

BURRELL Francis Gary – 12 Paradise Square (Sheffield);

COFFEY John Joseph – 3 Temple Gardens;

CROOKENDEN Simon Robert – Essex Court Chambers;

ELLIS Roger John – 13 Kings Bench Walk;

FAULKS Edward Peter Lawless – No. 1 Serjeants' Inn;

FISHER David Paul – 6 King's Bench Walk;

GARLICK Paul Richard – Pump Court Chambers;

GLEN Ian Douglas – Guildhall Chambers (Bristol);

HATTON David William – Park Court Chambers (Leeds);

HEDWORTH Alan Toby – Trinity Chambers (Newcastle);

HOLROYDE Timothy Victor – Exchange Chambers (Liverpool);

HORWOOD-SMART Miss Rosamund – 5 King's Bench Walk;

HOWARD Mark Steven – Brick Court Chambers;

HOWE Martin Russell Thomson – 8 New Square;

HUGHES Iain Hamilton-Douglas – 2 Crown Office Row;

JEFFREYS Alan Howard – Farrar's Building;

JENKINS Thomas Alun – All Saints Chambers (Bristol);

JONES Richard Henry – 3 Paper Buildings;

KAY Robert Jervis – Queen Elizabeth Building;

KENT Michael Harcourt – 2 Crown Office Row;

KYTE Peter Eric – Queen Elizabeth Building;

LINDBLOM Keith John – 2 Harcourt Buildings;

LOWE Nicholas Mark – 2-3 Gray's Inn Square;

LYNAGH Richard Dudley – 2 Crown Office Row;

MALCOLM Alastair Richards -1 Paper Buildings;

MALEK Ali – 3 Gray's Inn Place;

MASSEY William Greville Sale – Pump Court Tax chambers;

McCAHILL Patrick Gerard – Priory Chambers (Birmingham);

McCARTHY Roger John – 22 Old Buildings;

MESTON Lord James – Queen Elizabeth Building;

MONTGOMERY Miss Clare Patricia – 3 Raymond Buildings;

MORROW Graham Eric – Derby Square Chambers (Liverpool);

MUNDAY Andrew Hugh – 3 Hare Court;

OLIVER-JONES Stephen – 5 Fountain Court (Birmingham);

OWEN Robert Frank – Ropewalk Chambers (Nottingham);

PEGDEN Jeffrey Vincent – 3 Temple Gardens;

POINTER Martin John – 1 Mitre Court Buildings;

PRICE Richard Mervyn – Littleton Chambers;

PROSSER Kevin John – Pump Court Tax Chambers;

PYMONT Christopher Howard – 13 Old Square;

RAILTON David – Fountain Court;

ROBERTSON Andrew James – 11 King's Bench Walk;

ROUCH Peter Christopher – Iscoed Chambers (Swansea);

ROWLAND John Peter – 4 Pump Court;

SALMON Charles Nathan – 1 Hare Court;

SHEARS Philip Peter – 9 Bedford Row;

SHELDON Richard Michael – 3-4 South Square;

SILVERLEAF Michael – 11 South Square;

SPEARMAN Richard – 5 Raymond Buildings;

STEVENSON Arthur William – 1 Paper Buildings;

STEWART Stephen Paul – St. John Street (Manchester);

STRAKER Timothy Derrick – 2-3 Gray's Inn Square;

TILLETT Michael Burn – 39 Essex Street;

TURNER Miss Janet Mary – 3 Gray's Inn Place;

UPWARD Patrick Charles – 9 Gough Square;

WEATHERILL, The Honorable Bernard Richard – 3 New Square;

WOODLEY Sonia – 9-12 Bell Yard;

YOUNG Timothy Nicholas – 20 Essex Street.