16 January 2019
Professor Verdirame appointed to Queen's Counsel
Guglielmo Verdirame is Professor of International Law at The Dickson Poon School of Law and the Department of War Studies. He is an expert in public international law and international arbitration and recognised as one of the leading practitioners in the field.
Congratulations to Professor Guglielmo Verdirame who has been appointed to Queen’s Counsel.
The QC appointments have been made by Her Majesty The Queen on the advice of the Lord Chancellor, David Gauke MP, following consideration by the independent Queen’s Counsel Selection Panel.
Guglielmo Verdirame is Professor of International Law at The Dickson Poon School of Law and the Department of War Studies. He is an expert in public international law and international arbitration and recognised as one of the leading practitioners in the field. Professor Verdirame has published extensively in the areas of public international law, international arbitration, and comparative public law.
He joined King’s in 2011 and was previously a Lecturer in the Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law (2003-2011); a Junior Research Fellow at Merton College, Oxford (2000-2003); and a Research Officer at the Refugee Studies Centre at the University of Oxford (1997-98). I also held a visiting appointment at Harvard Law School (2007) and was Director of Studies for Public International Law at the Hague Academy of International Law (2006).
Professor Verdirame is a practising Barrister at 20 Essex Street chambers.
Sir Alex Allan, Chair of the Selection Panel, said:
’I am delighted at the announcement of the new silks. I congratulate each one of them. The selection process is a rigorous and demanding one... Each year, the Panel has the difficult task of identifying the truly excellent advocates. I am confident that those appointed today truly deserve to be Queen’s Counsel.
About taking silk
QCs are considered experts in their field and generally have a minimum of 15 years' practice. Appointments are made from within the legal profession and are based on merit.When a barrister is appointed as a QC this is known informally as ‘taking silk’ because of their entitlement to wear black silk gowns in court instead of standard court dress.
The new Queen’s Counsel will formally become silks when they make their declaration before the Lord Chancellor at a ceremony on 11 March 2019.