'Hot' list compiled by two women looking to pick up a barrister bachelor

A list of London’s most attractive male barristers has been complied by two women looking for a boyfriend.

A group of 21 barristers, from some of the country’s top chambers, have been named as the “hottest” members of the bar.

The list has been drawn up by a journalist and a writer and art historian, and started off because the pair were looking to date a barrister.

One of them said: “It started off because we were looking to date a barrister. Why not? Ideally, they are attractive, intelligent, articulate, they can command a room and they ought to be honourable. In reality a lot are rather dull, so we thought this was a fun way of finding the nicest ones around.”

The other added: “We’re attracted to barristers because of the ethos and tradition of the British legal world. And we didn’t want to go for bankers because they came across as rather horrible, I’m afraid.”

The pair, both London-based Americans, looked at the photographs and biographies of barristers on chamber websites and compiled a list of their favourites.

Patrick Hennessey, a former officer of the Grenadier Guards, author and now barrister, topped the list, which was published on Wednesday on yourbarristerboyfriend.tumblr.com.

The 31-year-old who works at 39 Essex Street chambers is described as “like Prince Harry but with brains. And attractive.”

He said: “Most unusually for a barrister, I’m speechless. It’s a tremendous honour and very reassuring to know that if the current misconceived and ham-fisted attempts at reform end up breaking the justice system altogether some of us at least have a sporting chance in an even older profession.”

Monckton Chambers’ Daniel Beard QC is ranked number five in the listings, but confessed that his wife preferred another 39 Essex Street member, Rory Dunlop.