Silk is a barrister's perk says Society as solicitors miss outThe rank of Queen's Counsel is a 'perk for barristers', Law Society President Robert Sayer claimed after the six solicitors who applied to take silk failed to be appointed.Reacting to last week's announcement of the 2000 silk round, Mr Sayer said it was 'peculiar' that no solicitors had been made QCs, 'a rank intended to denote senior members of the legal profession and act as a stepping stone to becoming a judge'.

He added: 'The list illustrates the rank of QC is just a perk for barristers.' A spokesman for the Lord Chancellor's Department said he was unable to comment on the appointments as they were made by the Queen.A spokesman for the Solicitors' Association of Higher Court Advocates said he was 'disappointed that no solicitors had gained silk as solicitor-advocates are becoming increasingly prominent in cases'.The 78 successful barrister applicants represented 15% of the 506 applications for silk, which was the highest number appointed on record.

Women were more successful than the overall average, with ten out of 53 (19%) being appointed.

However, only three out of 24 ethnic minority (12.5%) lawyers were successful.In the five years since solicitors have been able to apply for silk, only four have been appointed out of 33 applicants: Lawrence Collins, Arthur Marriott, David Mackie and Mark Clough.

Mr Clough, who was the only solicitor QC appointed last year, spent most of his career as a barrister.Late last year, the independent Peach report backed the 'secret soundings' system of appointing QCs, but called for an end to the link between silk and the bench.For the first time, the list was accompanied by a list of applicants' earnings.

Successful applicants earned on average 213,110 over the previous three financial years.

Top earners made an average 570,667 and lowest earners 77,667 over the same period.Newly appointed QCs included: Employment Law Association chairman Paul Goulding; Laurie West-Knights, vice-chairman of the Society for Computers and the Law; and Ben Emmerson, last year's joint winner of the Liberty/Gazette human rights lawyer of the year award.See Editorial, page 14.Sue Allen