Queen's Counsel

Meanings

1. 1nouncountablelegalBritish

   A senior British lawyer appointed to act for the Crown, allowed to wear a silk gown in court.

   Grammar: Countable and used with a name after it: John Smith QC, or 'he became a Queen's Counsel'.

   Patterns

   • be appointed Queen's Counsel
   • a Queen's Counsel for someone
   • Queen's Counsel + name

   She was made a Queen's Counsel after twenty years at the bar.

   The firm hired a Queen's Counsel to argue the appeal.

   Only a Queen's Counsel may sit in the front row of the court.

2. 2abbreviationlegalBritish

   The short written form QC, placed after a senior lawyer's name in Britain.

   Grammar: Written after a surname: 'A. Patel QC'; spoken as the letters Q and C.

   Patterns

   • name + QC

   The letter was signed 'M. Brown QC'.

   Judges sometimes address a QC by the letters alone.

Word forms

Common combinations

appointed Queen's Counsel

He was appointed Queen's Counsel at the age of forty-five.

a leading Queen's Counsel

A leading Queen's Counsel presented the case for the defense.

take silk

Barristers often say they 'take silk' when they become Queen's Counsel.

Queen's Counsel for the prosecution

A Queen's Counsel for the prosecution opened the trial.

Synonyms and how they differ

barrister

A barrister is any lawyer who argues in court; a Queen's Counsel is a senior one with a higher rank.

senior counsel

A more general term used in other countries for a lawyer of similar standing.

Word family

King's Counsel noun

The same rank when the British monarch is a king.

counsel noun

A lawyer or lawyers in a case, or advice.

counsellor noun

An adviser, or a lawyer in some countries.

Commonly confused: Queen's Counsel or council? Queen's Counsel or counselor?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “Queen's Counsel”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words