 Benjamin was created a " Palatine silk " , entitled to the precedence of a Queen 's Counsel within Lancashire , in July 1869 . There was a large creation of Queen 's Counsel in early 1872 , but Benjamin was not included ; it was stated in his Times obituary that he had put his name forward . Later that year , he argued the case of Potter v Rankin before the House of Lords and so impressed Lord Hatherley that a patent of precedence was soon made out , giving Benjamin the privileges of a Queen 's Counsel . As he became prominent as a barrister , he discontinued practice before juries ( at which he was less successful ) in favor of trials or appeals before judges . In his last years in practice , he demanded an additional fee of 100 guineas ( £ 105 ) to appear in any court besides the House of Lords and the Privy Council . In 1875 , he was made a bencher of Lincoln 's Inn . 
