It was the best of times, it was the worst of times – that’s how we read the latest figures on QC awards. Hats off to Baroness Butler-Sloss for putting such a positive spin on the fact that 75% of solicitor applicants were successful – a record high.

Welcome news, but not an especially meaningful statistic. Not when there were only four of them – a record low.

Similarly for women. The success rate for women was significantly better at 55% than for men (40%). But how meaningful is that when only 29 women applied, the fewest for many years? And overall 42% of applicants – male and female – got silk, compared with just 12% a decade ago.

A number of factors are at play here – including the cost of applying, uncertainty about the changing shape of the profession post-Legal Services Act, and an appetite for caution whetted by what looks set to be a savage recession.

Like Baroness Butler-Sloss, we hope the markedly higher success rates will persuade more solicitors and more women to apply. But we are far from certain that they will. Not yet anyway.