Lawyers chose the Queen

This week Victorian Attorney-General Robert Clark announced that Victorian Senior Counsels will in future have the option to be appointed as Queen’s Counsel (QC) or Senior Counsel (SC). Mr. Clark followed a request to the Victorian Government from the Victorian Bar Council to give senior barristers the choice of being known as Senior Counsel (SCs) or Queen’s Counsel (QCs).

Mr. Clark's predecessor, controversial Labour Attorney-General Rob Hulls ditched the QC title in favour of SC in 2010.

Victoria's move follows Queensland's example, which restored the QC title in 2013, giving Senior Counsels the option to change their title to Queen's Counsel. Seventy of that state’s 73 senior counsels changed their title to QC in the wake of that announcement.

As in Queensland, Victoria's current senior counsels will now have the option to retain the SC title or switch to QC. NSW, WA, SA and the ACT have so far retained the SC title. The Northern Territory was the only Australian jurisdiction not to dump QC.

Queen Victoria would welcome the Victorian Attorney-General's decision to restore the Queen's Counsel.

Victoria's move came three days before Her Majesty's 62nd anniversary as Queen of Australia. On 6th February 1952 her father, King George VI died in his sleep and his eldest daughter ascended to the throne as Queen Elizabeth II.

The story of Queen Elizabeth's accession actually starts on 31st January 1952. King George VI saw off Princess Elizabeth and her husband, The Duke of Edinburgh> on a tour that was destined for Australia and New Zealand, a tour the King himself was supposed to have taken, yet being unable to do so due to his illness. King George waved off his daughter as she embarks on the plane - some people say they both knew this was the last time they were ever to see each other again.

On the 5th February, King George retired to bed at Sandringham House in what was described as 'his usual health'.

The following morning, when the footman came to wake up the King at 7:30am, it was discovered that he was dead - The King had died in his sleep.

News was broken to London at 10:45am in a special news bulletin.