An ambitious video history project documenting the journey of women in the legal profession, from 1919 to present day
The First 100 Years is a ground-breaking history project, supported by the Law Society, Bar Council and CILEx, charting the journey of women in law since 1919. The project is powered by Spark21, a charity founded to celebrate, inform and inspire future generations of women in the profession. In 2019 the project will mark the centenary of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 which paved the way for women to become lawyers for the first time.
The First 100 Years project was created by Dana Denis-Smith, CEO of Obelisk Support. Launching the project Dana said: “People don’t know their history — who the first woman solicitor was, for instance. There is no archive like the First 100 Years to help us place ourselves in history.”
Work is now under way to produce a new digital museum made up of 100 video stories that tell the story of women in law. The project’s legacy will be the creation for the first time of positive role models for women in law, a deep understanding of the past combined with a celebration of today, a cross-sector platform for intelligent debate and change and a valuable archive accessible to everyone from law students to High Court Judges. Our aim is to ensure a strong and equal future for all women in the legal profession.
Our History
The First 100 Years is a ground-breaking history project, supported by the Law Society, the Bar Council and CILEx, charting the journey of women in law since 1919. The project is powered by Spark21, a charity founded to celebrate, inform and inspire future generations of women in the profession. In 2019 the project will mark the centenary of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 which paved the way for women to become lawyers for the first time. The First 100 Years project was created by Dana Denis-Smith, CEO of Obelisk Support. Launching the project Dana said: “People don’t know their history — who the first woman solicitor was, for instance. There is no archive like the First 100 Years to help us place ourselves in history.”
Work is now under way to produce a new digital museum made up of 100 video stories that tell the story of women in law. The project’s legacy will be the creation for the first time of positive role models for women in law, a deep understanding of the past combined with a celebration of today, a cross-sector platform for intelligent debate and change and a valuable archive accessible to everyone from law students to High Court Judges. Our aim is to ensure a strong and equal future for all women in the legal profession.
How We Work
To bring about the kinds of changes that will help girls and women have equal access to a strong and bright future in the legal profession, we raise awareness about the history of women in law and inspire future generations of female lawyers.
Whether the challenge is the lack of female restrooms at a law firm or better mentoring for women inside legal teams, we listen and learn so we can identify pressing problems that get too little attention. Then, we consider whether we can make a meaningful difference with our influence and our partners, whether it is professional mentoring or public events.
We encourage both women and men to join us as advocates for the future of women in law, whether they are parents, colleagues, legal professionals or interested parties.
How we work online
Through historical research, academic records or personal connections, we write the forgotten history of women in law and add it to our database on the First Hundred Years website.
How we work with the public
Through our core team and partners, we are speakers at industry and public events on the topic of women in law. We also organise a yearly conference on women leaders in law, recognising outstanding advocates of the history of women in law and tackling important topics that affect women lawyers.
We collaborate in our research with a number of public institutions so that profession can be enriched through the work of practitioners, academics and all those that are passionate about equality.
How we work with women lawyers
By inviting nominations from the public, we get to know about the amazing work done by women lawyers and after reviewing all nominations, our judging panel decides on the shortlisted and the winning entry for the Inspirational Woman of the Law. Each year, these women are recognised at an official award ceremony hosted by one of our partners; they go on to inspire their peers, colleagues and network. Each finalist becomes an ambassador for the project for a year, with the winner being included in our video archive.
