The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is inviting nominations for the award of King’s Counsel Honoris Causa.
KC HONORIS CAUSA – HONORARY KC
This is an honorary award, unique to the law and legal profession and granted under the royal prerogative. It is a dedicated opportunity to recognise lawyers and legal academics who have made a major contribution to, and impact on, the law of England and Wales or the legal profession outside the courtroom.
The award is not a working rank and is separate from substantive KC appointments administered by King’s Counsel Appointments, which recognise excellence in advocacy in the higher courts.
What is the award for?
The award is for
A significant, positive impact either on the shape of the law of England and Wales, or on the legal profession. This is for work outside the courtroom.
This criterion can be interpreted broadly, either as
- a major contribution to the development of the law of England and Wales (for example, by dedicated research, influencing case law/legislation and promoting initiatives); or
- to how it is advanced (for example, by positively impacting the shape of the profession).
What is most important is that nominations clearly evidence the significant, positive impact an individual’s efforts have had.
It is not a long-service award. Honours may be awarded for a significant impact over a long period of time, but they may equally be awarded for such an impact over a shorter period – it is the scale of impact that is important.
Further guidance on submitting a strong nomination is provided in the nomination form.
We are keen that the awards reflect the full diversity of backgrounds, experience and career paths of eligible lawyers and legal academics who have made a significant positive impact on the law of England and Wales or the legal profession. See examples of previous successful nominees.
Examples of what these different contributions may look like
Influencing legislation
- Making an impact on the law by influencing legislation or case law (e.g. through the outcome of research, creating awareness or campaigning, pro bono work or other advocacy outside the courtroom).
Strenghtening the legal profession
Making an impact on the legal profession (for example, through initiatives that increase diversity and social mobility, widen access to legal careers, strengthen professional standards, or support professional development and culture).
Innovation
- Making an impact through a standout achievement or through innovation (for example, by breaking through into new territory, such as making an impact through work on Lawtech or innovation in legal education).
Academic work
- Making an impact through outstanding academic work that makes a positive contribution to the law and/or legal system (for example, by shaping legal understanding, informing law reform or influencing policy).
International initiatives
- Making an impact on the law of England and Wales or the profession through international initiatives (for example, by promoting the law of England and Wales or legal services overseas, building links with other jurisdictions, or contributing to international legal standards or institutions).
Who is eligible?
To be eligible for the award, the individual must be a qualified lawyer or legal academic and meet the additional eligibility criteria set out below relating to recent advocacy and the main UK honours system.
Examples of qualified lawyers who may be eligible include
- Solicitors
- Barristers
- Chartered legal executives
- Trademark attorneys
- Patent attorneys
- Licensed conveyancers
- Costs lawyers
- Notaries
- Probate practitioners
Qualified lawyers may be practising or non-practising, and may work in any setting, including private practice, in-house roles, public service, regulation, the third sector, or another setting.
The award is open to foreign-qualified professionals and to eligible lawyers and legal academics based overseas. There are no residency or nationality requirements.
Eligible legal academics may work in universities, research institutions or another setting.
Holding judicial office would not exclude lawyers who meet the eligibility criteria.
A nominee’s contribution may relate to any area of law or legal specialism, or to the law or legal profession more broadly.
An individual is not eligible for Honorary KC if any of the following apply
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They are a practising barrister or solicitor advocate who has appeared as an advocate in the courts of England and Wales within the past two years. This helps maintain a clear distinction between the Honorary KC title and the working rank of substantive King’s Counsel.
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They have received an honour through the main UK honours system within the past two years, or have been nominated for such an honour this year. Where someone received an honour more than two years ago, their contribution to and impact on the law or the legal profession since that honour was awarded will be considered.
How are awards made?
The process is administered by the MoJ. Nominations are considered against the criterion by a panel of representatives from the legal profession, civil service, judiciary, and academia, which is chaired by an MoJ official.
The panel of representatives provides the Lord Chancellor with a shortlist of recommended nominees. The Lord Chancellor will then consider and decide the final recommendations. The recommendations are then referred to His Majesty the King, who grants the awards under the royal prerogative.
How is the information about nominees used?
To assess each nominee’s suitability for the award and support the selection process, we use the information provided to carry out
- Cross-Whitehall due diligence checks to identify any main honours nominations and any relevant information that may affect eligibility or suitability;
- Checks against nominees on the main honours system to identify any past honours as per the eligibility criteria;
- Evaluation by the selection panel of the evidence of their contribution and impact on the law of England and Wales or the legal profession; and
- Criminal record checks with ACRO Criminal Records Office for shortlisted nominees.
For more information on how we use and protect personal data, please refer to our privacy notice.
Nominees from outside the legal profession
Where someone from outside the legal profession has made a significant impact on the law of England and Wales, or the legal profession, they would not qualify for this award. We would welcome those nominations as part of the main honours system.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
There is a separate Honorary King’s Counsel award in Scotland in Scotland. There is no exact equivalent in Northern Ireland. However, this does not mean that achievements of a similar nature cannot be recognised. If you would like to nominate someone for an honour whose work is in Northern Ireland, you can contact the Honours Secretariat for Northern Ireland.
How to make a nomination
Please submit your nomination using our digital form.
Please note that we will only accept nominations made via the digital form. If you are unable to use our digital form, or have any other questions, please contact [email protected].
Webinars
The Ministry of Justice will hold webinars for prospective nominators and those supporting with nominations.
The webinars will provide an overview of the Honorary KC award, explain the nomination process, and answer questions from potential nominators. The webinars will take place on
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Wednesday 29 July 2026, 10am to 11am
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Tuesday 11 August 2026, 10am to 11am
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Wednesday 2 September 2026, 10am to 11am
To register, please email [email protected] with your preferred date.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the process and timelines?
- July Nominations open
- September Nominations close
- November Panel meets and shortlists nominees
- November ACRO Criminal record checks are conducted
- December Lord Chancellor makes final recommendations to the King
- January Successful nominees are announced
- March Ceremony
These dates are provisional and subject to change.
2. What is the difference between substantive KC and Honorary KC?
Substantive KC is a working rank awarded through the separate King’s Counsel appointments process. It recognises excellence in advocacy.
Honorary KC is an honorary award. It recognises exceptional contributions to the law of England and Wales or to the legal profession outside the courtroom, and is not a working rank.
This distinction is reflected in how the titles are used substantive King’s Counsel use “KC”, while recipients of Honorary KC use “KC (Hon)” or “KC Honoris Causa” when referring to the award publicly.
3. Who can make a nomination?
Anyone can make a nomination. You do not need to have a legal background or reside in the UK.
4. Can an individual self-nominate?
Yes. Individuals can self-nominate if they meet the eligibility requirements. The nomination form includes an option to confirm that the nomination is a self-nomination.
5 Can I nominate someone who lives and works overseas, or someone who is a foreign national?
Yes. There are no residency or nationality requirements. Qualified lawyers and legal academics who live or work overseas may be eligible, including foreign-qualified lawyers, provided the nomination clearly demonstrates a significant positive impact on the law of England and Wales or on the legal profession.
6. Can I make more than one nomination?
Yes. You may nominate as many people as you like, but please ensure that you submit separate nomination forms.
7. Is there a limit to the number of nominations for an individual?
No. An individual can be nominated by multiple people.
8. What should I do if I know someone else is nominating the same person?
In such instances, and while there is no requirement to do so, nominators may wish to coordinate and submit a single nomination where they consider that their nominations are based on similar evidence.
The nomination could then identify a lead nominator and list any additional nominators or supporters as endorsers.
9. In order to be considered for the award, do I need multiple nominations?
No. The panel’s assessment is not based on how many nominations an individual has received.
10. Can I attach letters or statements in support of a nomination?
Substantive letters, statements of support or other supporting materials will not be accepted or considered by the panel.
However, the nomination form allows nominators to name individuals who wish to support the nomination. For each named endorser, nominators must upload an email from the endorser’s own email account, or a signed letter, confirming that the endorser supports the nomination, and that they consent to being contacted by the Ministry of Justice to verify their endorsement.
The email or letter should confirm endorsement only.
11. How do I know whether to nominate someone for Honorary KC or another honour?
Honorary KC is a specific honorary award for qualified lawyers and legal academics who have made a significant contribution to the law of England and Wales or to the legal profession, outside the courtroom. Other honours can recognise a wide range of achievements and service across public life.
Some contributions may be relevant to more than one route, and nominators should consider the Honorary KC criteria and the GOV.UK guidance on nominating someone for an honour before deciding which route is most appropriate.
Please note that individuals who have received an honour through the official UK honours system within the past two years, or who have been nominated for such an honour this year, are not eligible for Honorary KC.
12. What happens if I miss the deadline to apply?
Unfortunately, we cannot consider any nomination past the deadline. We encourage you to submit your application when the next round of nominations opens.
