Specifically, what does the group of words “One Brick Court silk” mean? And what is a “QC”? The rest makes sense.
A “silk” is a barrister (reference to the robes worn thereby) - a lawyer who has been “called to the bar”, meaning they’re allowed to work in high courts (I think - maybe someone can clarify). “QC” is Queen’s Counsel - the title given to a barrister. Brick Court is “one of the leading sets of Barristers Chambers in London”.
One Brick Court is a Barristers Chambers in the Temple - an area in London with many legal firms (called chambers). The Temple is the historic headquarters of the Knights Templar.
A Silk is a senior Barrister, also known as a QC (Queens Counsel).
Simon
A QC is a queen’s counsel. Only the most senior barristers are QCs. They’re called that because originally they were allowed to act as lawyers for the Crown. When there is a king, they are called king’s counsels (KCs). ‘Silk’ is just a nickname for them as they wear silk gowns.
‘One Brick Court’ is called that because they’re based at 1 Brick Court in the Temple in London.
Hello? :taptaptap: Is this thing on?
OK jjimm is spot on, but the sentence is hard to parse.
One Brick Court silk and Conservative MP Edward Garnier QC is leading the charge to impeach the Prime Minister over the invasion of Iraq.
Edward Garnier is:
An individual person
a member of the Conservative Political Party
a Member of Parliament
a barrister (AKA ‘silk’) with the title QC
based at Brick Court
He is leading a campaign against Blair.
Perhaps it makes more sense this way
Edward Garnier QC is a Conservative MP and is also a Brick Court silk. He is leading the charge to impeach the Prime Minister over the invasion of Iraq.
Ooh, very fancy!
I think the navy blue was a mistake though; Dark Red is more in keeping with the other autumnal shades.
Dark Red isn’t very Tory though.
So anyway, I guess to parse in plainer English:
“Edward Garnier, who is both a barrister at the legal firm called Brick Court, and also a Conservative MP, is leading the charge to impeach the Prime Minister over the invasion of Iraq.”
Actually, Mangetout, the “One” is part of the name “One Brick Court”.
Apart from that, spot on…
I’m confused. 
Why is Conservative Party Green. Isn’t that a different party? And aren’t bricks usually Red?
Appallingly phrased sentence, who wrote it?
Oh, and:
No!
Barrister’s chambers are not firms. They are simply shared offices. Barristers work for themselves, not for a firm.
I think the original phrase is quite pithily written, actually. It reads a lot better than
at any rate!
I stand corrected; I spotted si_blakely mention this, but thought it was a misunderstanding.
The original sentence makes perfect sense if you are familiar with the terms; if you’re not, it is too easy to get confused into thinking brick and silk are being used as ordinary nouns.
Oh arse.
For what it’s worth, in the American system all lawyers may function in nearly all legal roles – giving advice and writing up documents in their offices, functioning as attorney privileged to speak for the client in meetings, and representing their clients in court. (Admission to the bars of specific appellate courts comes after a period of practice and experience in courts of first instance.)
Mostly, representation in courts is an extremely minor part of a typical American lawyer’s practice, unless he happens to be a public prosecutor or defender, protagonist of a lawyer TV show, Ron Cochran, or John Edwards.
In the English system, legal counsel and advice, and the crafting of legal documents, are given by Solicitors. But arguing a case in court, knowing when to enter objections, file motions, etc., is restricted to one group of lawyers trained to the job, the Barristers. (i.e., “Trial lawyer” is a recognized specialty for which one has special training and licensing.) And the Barristers are trained at, and many operate out of, the Inns of Court in London, which include the Inner and Middle Temple (cf. the Templars connection mentioned above).
We will not discuss at this time what the Scots do. Suffice it to say that eating haggis, wearing kilts, and tossing the caber are not merely colorful ethnic traditions… 
But with the caveat that some solicitors now do have the right to argue cases in court. Admittedly, this is a bit of an unfair nitpick as explaining what the distinction used to be and which, for most lawyers, still applies is the only way one can hope to explain such mysteries to the uninitiated.
Whoever wrote the sentence wants to sound like an informed insider, which, for all we know, given that toadspittle hasn’t said where it comes from, they might be. The insinuation is not just that the reader should know that One Brick Court is a barristers’ chambers but that they ought to think it interesting that the barrister in question is a member of those particular chambers. As if anyone other than other barristers would care. It’s a standard journalistic trick.
Actually, the name is derived from its address, which in Associated Press style would be written “1 Brick Court,” and the U.S. Postal Service would write “1 BRICK CT,” both of which to my eyes are a little less ambiguous than “One Brick Court.”
So he’s a barrister whose office is at 1 Brick Court, which is probably a pretty fancy address for a lawyer, like K Street in Washington, D.C.
In fact, I believe that barristers are prohibited from forming firms. They are allowed to share offices (chambers) and share a clerk, though. Solicitors bring cases to the clerk in the chambers and the clerk decides which barrister gets the case. Barristers are also prohibited from accepting payment directly from clients; they have to wait for the solicitors’ firm to collect payment and bring them their share.