Guy Beringer, senior partner at Allen & Overy, the “magic circle” firm, is a general corporate solicitor who also specialises in environmental law. He has won praise for his contribution to the promotion and funding of pro bono or charitable work at major law firms.
Paul Davies, a professor of commercial law at the London School of Economics, was an influential member of the Department for Trade and Industry’s Company Law Review steering group between 2000 and 2002. The group’s findings played a significant role in shaping the Company Law Reform Bill (2006) — the biggest change to UK company law in a generation.
The rank of Honorary QC, which cannot be used in professional practice, is open to members of the legal profession, the judiciary and legal scholars.
The other appointments were:
Michael Napier, senior partner at Irwin Mitchell
Professor Dame Hazel Gillian Genn, Professor of Socio-Legal Studies at University College London
Rosalind Wright, former director of the Serious Fraud Office and currently non-executive director of the Office of Fair Trading
Sir Geoffrey Bowman, recently retired as First Parliamentary Counsel (the head of the team of lawyers responsible for writing Government legislation)
