Dr Judith Bourne
FeatureWest African trailblazer
Stella Jane Thomas was the first West African woman to be called to the Bar of England and Wales at the Middle Temple.
FeatureRemembering the men who enabled women
Although it was men who were in control of the discriminatory method of admittance to the professions, it was also men who challenged and pushed the establishment to finally admit women.
FeatureA promise of equality yet to be met
The equality pledge of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 remains unfulfilled.
FeatureA woman ahead of her time
Feminist pioneer Gladys Mary Chatterjee paved the way for 'outsiders'.
FeatureHow Beatrice beat the protectionists
Solicitor pioneer who transferred from the bar in the face of protectionism.
FeatureFeminist, reformer, pioneer and figurehead
Helena Normanton made legal history by becoming the first woman to join an Inn of Court, Middle Temple, on 24 December 1919, the day after the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act was passed. I ‘discovered’ Normanton in 2002 when helping the Women’s Library at London Metropolitan University with an exhibition. Shamefully, ...
FeatureHow Bertha Cave fought law’s male exclusivity
Servant’s daughter who applied to join Gray’s Inn in 1903 was an early pioneer of women’s entry into the legal profession.
FeatureGwyneth Bebb: the past explaining the present
Bebb case demonstrates the hostility women had to endure in order to achieve formal equality.
FeatureWomen who blazed a trail for the pioneers
The women who came before the first solicitors and barristers - earlier attempts to open up the legal profession.
