What a King’s Counsel does
A King’s Counsel is a senior barrister appointed for excellence in advocacy, usually after twenty years or more in practice. KCs take the most serious and complex cases, normally leading a junior barrister. About one barrister in ten is a KC.
Last checked against the law on 22 October 2026.
What the appointment is
King’s Counsel is awarded by an independent selection panel against published competencies, on evidence from judges and opponents. It is not a job title or a promotion within a firm, and it cannot be bought or applied for lightly.
The older name is Queen’s Counsel; the letters changed in 2022 and the appointment is the same one.
What a KC actually does in a case
Leads the defence: the legal argument about what the jury may hear, the cross-examination of the main prosecution witnesses, and the speeches.
In a heavy case a KC is instructed with a junior barrister, who does much of the written preparation. That is a division of labour, not a hierarchy of care.
When you need one
Where the allegation is at the most serious end, where the case is long or has many defendants, or where it turns on a legal argument rather than on the facts.
A KC is not automatically the right answer. In a straightforward case an experienced junior may be better value and just as effective, and a good set will tell you that.
What to do about it
If you are not sure whether your case warrants a silk, ask. He would rather say so than take an instruction that does not need one.
This page explains a process. It is not legal advice and it is not a substitute for it: what is right in your case depends on facts that are not on this page.