160Prohibition of official schemes for recognition of seniority or status

#### 160 Prohibition of official schemes for recognition of seniority or status 160 Prohibition of official schemes for recognition of seniority or status > > (1) Any prerogative right or power of the Crown to appoint persons as Queen’s Counsel or to grant letters patent of precedence to counsel remains abrogated. > > > (2) Nothing in this section affects the appointment of a person who was appointed as Queen’s Counsel before the commencement of this section. > > > (3) Nothing in this section abrogates any prerogative right or power of the Crown to revoke such an appointment. > > > (4) No law or practice prevents a person who was Queen’s Counsel immediately before the commencement of this section from continuing to be Queen’s Counsel while a barrister or solicitor. > > > (5) Executive or judicial officers of the State have no authority to conduct a scheme for the recognition or assignment of seniority or status among legal practitioners. > > > (6) Nothing in subsection (5) prevents the publication of a list of legal practitioners in the order of the dates of their admission, or a list of barristers or solicitors in the order of the dates of their becoming barristers or solicitors, or a list of Queen’s Counsel in their order of seniority. > > > (7) In this section— > > > > executive or judicial officers includes the Governor, Ministers of the Crown, Parliamentary Secretaries, statutory office holders, persons employed in the Public Service or by the State, an authority of the State or another public employer, and also includes judicial office holders or persons acting under the direction of the Chief Justice of New South Wales or other judicial office holder. > > > > Queen’s Counsel means one of Her Majesty’s Counsel learned in the law for the State of New South Wales and extends to King’s Counsel where appropriate.