Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Queen’s Counsel
References
Britannica AI Icon

Queen’s Counsel

British law
Also known as: King’s Counsel
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

Queen's Counsel (QC) is a designation given to a barrister in British law who has been selected to serve as counsel to the British crown. This title is used during the reign of a queen.1

The legal profession in England evolved significantly after the Norman Conquest. Initially, legal functions were handled by royal officials. Over time, a specialized legal society, the Inns of Court, developed, training men to become barristers. The most distinguished advocates could become serjeants, from whom judges were appointed. By the 19th century, the order of serjeants was eliminated, and the most senior barristers could be appointed Queen's Counsel.2

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
2 Britannica Sources
  1. Queen's Counsel
  2. legal profession - England after the Conquest

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.