Lesley Wan
Lesley Wan is General Counsel for FBN Bank. Lesley [...]
Katherine Ramo
Katherine Ramo is an Associate in the Technology, Media, [...]
Diana Parker
Diana Parker is a renowned divorce lawyer and partner [...]
Lady Justice Rafferty
Dame Anne Rafferty served as a Court of Appeal [...]
Dame Bobbie Cheema-Grubb
Dame Bobbie Cheema-Grubb is a judge of the Queen's [...]
Dame Janet Smith
Dame Janet Smith worked as a barrister in Manchester [...]
Baroness Hallett
Baroness Heather Hallett DBE was the fifth woman to [...]
Linda Urquhart OBE
Linda was the first female Managing Partner of a [...]
I.Stephanie Boyce
I.Stephanie Boyce was elected the deputy vice president of [...]
Baroness Deech
Baroness Ruth Deech DBE is a British academic, lawyer, [...]
The facts about women lawyers in fiction
The legal drama series, The Split returned to our screens [...]
Baroness Hale of Richmond
© Jamie Williamson for First 100 Year's #100Faces100Years in 2019. [...]
To what extent was the admission of female lawyers into the UK law profession in 1919, under the Sexual Disqualification (removal) Act, caused by the women’s suffrage movement?
The First 100 Years campaign inspired me to research the [...]
First 100 Years founder calls-out ‘industrial levels’ of inflexibility in law firms
In the year that marks the centenary of the Sex [...]
Baroness Butler-Sloss
Baroness Butler-Sloss was the first woman to sit on the [...]
Master Victoria McCloud
Victoria McCloud is a British judge. She is the [...]
The Tenth Decade: 2009-2019
Taking Stock: Progress and Next Steps In this final episode [...]
Sarah Leigh
Sarah Leigh, a pioneering clinical negligence lawyer, co-founded Leigh [...]
Dame Janet Gaymer
An interview with Dame Janet Gaymer, DBE, QC, who [...]
Sarah Falk
Sarah Falk was the first woman to be appointed [...]
Major General Susan Ridge
Major General Susan Ridge, CB is a senior British [...]
Baroness Chakrabarti
Baroness Chakrabarti was the Director of Liberty from 2003 [...]
The Ninth Decade: 1999 – 2009
The Leaky Pipeline This a special live recorded episode of [...]
The Eighth Decade: 1989 – 1999
Widening the Pool The 1990’s saw the end of the [...]
Madeleine Heggs
Madeleine Heggs set up her own legal practice over [...]
Anita Jewitt
An exclusive interview with Anita Jewitt, a partner in [...]
Cecilia Xu Lindsey
Cecilia Xu Lindsey is the first female Chinese national to [...]
The Seventh Decade: 1979-1989
Rising to the Top The 1980s were characterised by the [...]
Jacquelyn Maclennan
Jacquelyn MacLennan is a Partner at White & Case [...]
Dame Rosalyn Higgins GBE KC
Dame Rosalyn Higgins GBE KC is a former President [...]
The Sixth Decade: 1969 – 1979
Sex Discrimination Act: Equality in name? Discussing discrimination and the [...]
A special logo for a special year
The winning logo designed by University of Reading student, Charmaine [...]
Keily Blair
An exclusive interview with Keily Blair, the first winner [...]
The Fifth Decade: 1959 – 1969
My Lord becomes My Lady The 1960’s was a time [...]
The Fourth Decade: 1949 – 1959
A Hostile Culture Join host Lucinda Acland and guests for [...]
Spanish lawyers and judges
María Ascensión Chirivella Marín (1893 – 1980) was the first [...]
“Did I really have to be called ‘Lord Justice’?’’
On Thursday 21st March, First 100 Years was proud to [...]
The Third Decade: 1939 – 1949
Sitting in Judgment: Women Magistrates and Jurors Join host Lucinda [...]
Dame Linda Dobbs
In October 2004, Dame Linda Dobbs DBE became the first [...]
Clare Montgomery QC
Clare Montgomery QC joined First 100 Years for a [...]
Professor Sara Chandler QC (Hon)
Professor Sara Chandler QC (Hon) is the first woman to [...]
The Second Decade: 1929 – 1939
The ‘Firsts’: Gaining a Foothold Join host Lucinda Acland and [...]
Lady Arden
An exclusive interview with Lady Arden for the First [...]
Baroness Kennedy
An exclusive interview with Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws, [...]
Cherie Blair CBE KC
An exclusive interview with Cherie Booth KC for First [...]
First 100 Years podcast charts journey of women in law decade by decade
The First 100 Years, the ground-breaking project charting the journey [...]
The First Decade: 1919-1929
Sacred Year or Dead Letter? The first in the series, [...]
Podcast Trailer
First 100 Years is launching a series of 10 podcasts, [...]
Frances Murphy
Slaughter & May's Frances Murphy was one of the [...]
Compilation
A compilation of a few of our recent interviews that [...]
Helen Mountfield
Helen Mountfield KC is a British barrister and legal [...]
Alison Meek
An exclusive interview with Alison Meek for First 100 [...]
Baroness Hale
In 2017, Baroness Brenda Hale became the first woman to [...]
Shân Warnock-Smith
An exclusive interview with Shân Warnock-Smith KC for First [...]
Lady Ruth Morris
An exclusive interview with Ruth, Lady Morris of Kenwood [...]
John Steel Inspired By Marianne Steel
In an exclusive interview with First 100 Years, John [...]
Angeli Arora
Angeli Arora, MA (Oxon) was one of the youngest lawyers [...]
Catherine Barnard
Catherine Barnard, Professor of European Union Law and Employment Law [...]
Veronica Lowe
Veronica Lowe, M.A.(Oxon), is a Solicitor and President St Hugh’s [...]
Did your law firm have the first woman solicitor to make partnership in the UK?
As the centenary of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 [...]
May Doris Charity Taylor
May Doris Charity Taylor (nee Clifford) was the first female [...]
Mary Donaldson
Dorothy Mary Donaldson was the first female Lord Mayor of [...]
Elsie Bowerman
Elsie Bowerman was called to the Bar in 1924, two [...]
Dorothy Knight Dix
Dorothy Knight Dix was the first woman to sit as [...]
A Trinity of Women: The First Women Solicitors in Ireland
Mary Dorothea Heron, Helena Mary Early and Dorothea Mary Browne [...]
Elizabeth Lane DBE
Elizabeth Lane DBE was an English barrister and judge. She [...]
Professor Frances Moran
Professor Frances Elizabeth Moran was the first female law lecturer [...]
A story of three women: “one very famous, one not so famous and one not famous at all”
The 2018 Pankhurst Lecture, "2018 – A Year of Anniversaries", [...]
Trailblazers in Legal Journalism: Mary Smith (1967-1979)
Richard Barr, Law Society Council Member, remembers Mary Smith (1967 [...]
#HelpfulMen: Lord Robert Cecil
Lord Robert Cecil (born Edgar Algernon Robert Gasgoyne-Cecil), first Viscount [...]
Rosalind Wright remembers Dame Juliet Wheldon
Rosalind Wright CB QC, second woman director of the Serious [...]
Carrie Morrison: “Men say the law is too rough and tumble for women”
In our search for stories of legal pioneers, we came [...]
Dorothy Livingston
An exclusive interview with Dorothy Livingston, the original inspiration [...]
Dawn Martin
Dawn Martin discusses the importance of women supporting each [...]
Liz Truss, First Woman Lord Chancellor
Liz Truss (speaking as the UK’s first female Lord [...]
Spark21 2017: address by Darren Jones MP
The Right Honourable Darren Jones MP is the Labour [...]
Dan Fitz, BT on women in law
Dan Fitz in the Red Chair on the value [...]
Lady Justice Thirlwall on Women in Law
The Right Honourable Lady Justice Thirlwall DBE, Deputy Senior [...]
Justine Thornton QC
Justine Thornton QC takes to the Red Chair to [...]
Eunice Shang-Simpson, on the life a prosecutor
Eunice Shang-Simpson for First 100 Years [...]
Millicent Grant, CILEX, first President with a minority background
Millicent Grant was the President of the Chartered Institute [...]
Dr Emilia Onyema, SOAS
Dr Emilia Onyema at the Association of Women Solicitors [...]
Nemone Lethbridge: an inspirational story of a woman in law
Nemone Lethbridge was born in 1932. She read law at [...]
Nilema Bhakta-Jones: from Barrister to General Counsel
Nilema Bhakta-Jones explains that growing up with Indian parents [...]
The First 100 Years 2017 Conference: Women Leaders in Law
As part of the aims of the First 100 Years [...]
Baroness Hale joins small group of top women leaders in the judiciary
Written by Dana Denis-Smith, founder of Spark21 and creator of [...]
Lady Black to be the second woman Supreme Court judge
Dame Jill Black's appointment as Supreme Court judge will bring [...]
Lady Hale becomes the first woman President of Supreme Court
Baroness Brenda Hale of Richmond has been appointed President of [...]
Being different can be an advantage
Jamila Hassan is a barrister at Goldsmith Chambers, specialising in [...]
A young woman who inspires me
Claudine Adeyemi has been busy not only with her career [...]
The Life of Charlotte Ray
Charlotte Ray (1850 – 1911) was the first African American [...]
Meet the women fighting gender bias in law
Women were allowed entry into the legal profession in 1919 [...]
Tracking a Century of Progress for Women in the Judiciary in Scotland
In times gone by, access to the legal profession was [...]
Law is losing talented women
More women than men study law, receive training contracts and [...]
Women in French Legal History
Three women changed the course of history in France at [...]
Supreme Court – a celebration of First 100 Years with Lady Hale and Lord Neuberger
We hosted a celebration party in support of the project [...]
First 100 Years Champions: Trailblazers in the Legal Sector
The First 100 Years Champions have been selected for their [...]
Agnes Twiston Hughes
A woman of fierce determination, Agnes Twiston Hughes qualified as [...]
Inspirational Women in Law Award Results
We are delighted to announce the winner and finalists of [...]
Mary Elaine Sykes, “The Wise Little Owl”
Born in 1896 Mary Elaine Sykes was one of the [...]
Spark 21 Conference 2016
On November 9th 2016, Spark 21 and the First 100 [...]
Lady Hale: The only woman lawyer on the Supreme Court
Lady Hale speaks to the First 100 Years about [...]
Professor Dame Carol Black Talks About Being a Principal of An All-Female College in Cambridge (2015 Spark21 Conference)
As we look forward to the Annual Spark 21 Conference [...]
The Red Chair: Memories, Ideas and Changes (2015 Spark21 Conference)
As we look forward to the Annual Spark 21 Conference [...]
Funke Abimbola on the Red Chair: The Importance of Getting Men on Board
As we look forward to the Annual Spark 21 Conference [...]
The Red Chair: Messages, Hopes and Inspirations (2015 Spark21 Conference)
As we look forward to the Annual Spark 21 Conference [...]
Mithan Tata 1898 – 1981
In 1923 Mithan Tata became the first woman called to [...]
In Conversation With First 100 Years Project Founder, Dana Denis-Smith On What She Envisions For The Project (2015 Spark21 Conference)
As we look forward to the Annual Spark 21 Conference [...]
Mercy Ashworth
Mercy Ashworth was called to the bar on 26 January [...]
What Role Do Men Have in Helping Women Progress? (2015 Spark21 Conference)
As we look forward to the Annual Spark 21 Conference [...]
How Far Have Women Come? (2015 Spark21 Conference)
As we look forward to the Annual Spark 21 Conference [...]
Where Did It All Begin? (2015 Spark21 Conference)
As we look forward to the Annual Spark 21 Conference [...]
Catherine Dixon Maps the Journey of Women in Law (2015 Spark21 Conference)
As we look forward to the Annual Spark 21 Conference [...]
Dana Denis-Smith: Why We Must Not Succumb to “Diversity Fatigue”
In September 2016, Dana Denis-Smith, founder of the First 100 [...]
Ruth Lady Morris of Kenwood reminisces on the law profession
These are excerpts from the First 100 Year's video interview [...]
Supreme Court Evening
The First 100 Years project hosted its annual reception at [...]
Dana Denis Smith, Founder of the First 100 Years
The Founder of the First 100 Years project, Dana [...]
Dame Janet Gaymer: The Story of Woman in Law (Family, Culture and the Future)
These are excerpts from the First 100 Year's video interview [...]
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0HIE70Jsq8
#OnTheRoll Campaign
#OnTheRoll captures the story of how women were prevented [...]
June Venters QC: “I hadn’t realised when I received the notification that it was going to be such a historical event.”
These are excerpts from the First 100 Year's video interview [...]
June Venters QC, the first woman solicitor to be appointed Queen’s Counsel
June Venters QC, the first woman solicitor to be [...]
Barry Matthews, Deputy GC at ITV and the woman who inspired him
Barry Matthews, deputy General Counsel at ITV, in conversation [...]
Shami Chakrabarti on Experiencing Sexism and the Importance of Female Role Models
These are excerpts from the First 100 Year's video interview [...]
Ethel Bright Ashford: A member of the first small cohort of women to practise at the English Bar
A member of the first small cohort of women to [...]
Women peers and MPs in the UK Parliament
The elevated social status of peers in the House of [...]
Theresa May: a forecast for what female leadership will bring to Britain
There is a saying in Latin America that when one [...]
Clare Montgomery QC on her life at the Bar
In 2016 Chambers & Partners described Clare Montgomery as ‘the [...]
Legal Librarians: Moys Classification system and the Duplicates Exchange scheme
On the recent donation of one of our #ontheroll artefacts, [...]
1910-1919: A period when legislative change finally began to establish gender equality.
Tensions over labour relations and frustration that social change was [...]
Abolishing Juries of Matrons
Before women were permitted, from 1920 onwards, to serve on [...]
Diversity in Legal Academia
This piece gives a snapshot of the state of affairs [...]
Maud Crofts: “We women want not privileges but equality.”
Guest Post by Elizabeth Cruickshank When Maud Crofts was formally [...]
Women in wars: American Independence Day
On this day, 4th July, 240 years ago, the Continental [...]
Matchgirls and Dagenham: female strikes which shaped the law
A tradition of strike action in the twentieth century resulted [...]
Barbara Calvert QC
In 1974, Barbara Calvert QC, later known as Lady Lowry, [...]
Lady Justice Heather Hallett on her ‘legal hero’
The fifth woman to sit in the Court of Appeal [...]
The Jury of Matrons
The first female jurors sat at the Bristol Quarter Sessions [...]
Women, their Money, and the Law
The First 100 Years project celebrates the right to enter [...]
Postcards: a visual history of women in law
Postcards provide an entertaining insight into popular imagination. Used by [...]
Margaret Thatcher: “I should like to see more and more women at Westminster…”
I should like to see more and more women at [...]
The Queen: A Woman in Law
Due to her position as constitutional monarch, the Queen is [...]
Frances Murphy: the story of her life as a city lawyer
We interviewed Slaughter & May Corporate Partner Frances Murphy in [...]
Dame Joyanne Winifred Bracewell DBE QC FRSA: From Acting to Law
Born in Manchester into a well-off family, Joyanne Bracewell was [...]
Lady Hale calls for a committee to achieve diversity on Supreme Court
The UK’s supreme court should be “ashamed” if it does [...]
Chaya Ray: BT’s First Female Lawyer
First 100 Years is delighted to share the story of [...]
Baroness Brenda Hale: “I shall forever be grateful to the first.”
These excerpts are special previews from Baroness Brenda Hale’s video [...]
Women in Trousers
Amelia Bloomer, American women's rights advocate, gave her name to [...]
On High Heels and Dress Codes
Interesting article by Rashmi Chopra on the Hanne & Co [...]
How Mary McAleese played the hand she was dealt.
Mary McAleese, the second woman ever elected as president of [...]
Frances Murphy talks about becoming a lawyer, doing deals and family.
This week we heard the sad news that Frances Murphy – the former corporate head at Slaughter and May - has died after a long illness.
Mary Robinson: the ‘woman who changed the Irish presidency forever’
The first female Irish president who proved that women could [...]
The ‘sacred year’ of 1919
‘A person shall not be disqualified by sex or marriage [...]
Joyce Gutteridge CBE, aka ‘Auntie Joyce’ and how she inspired me
By Alice Ackernley (née Gutteridge) Scene: Christmas Day, 1980 Me [...]
Women on the Jury
It is fairly well known that the Sex Disqualification (Removal) [...]
The story of Dame Linda Dobbs
In 2004 Dame Linda Dobbs became the first black [...]
First 100 Years in 2015
This short video captures the essence of the First 100 [...]
2015 Spark21 Conference
First 100 Years organised a flagship event, the SPARK21 on [...]
Diversity progress ‘painfully slow’ – Black Solicitors Network
The BSN, which published its first diversity league table in 2006, said its sample of firms in the early years had around one in five partners who were women and about 4% from a minority ethnic background.
Quotas are the only way to combat sexism in the workplace, and we shouldn’t be afraid to demand them
Charlotte Proudman - "I'm tired of members of the old boys' club telling me that quotas are 'patronising' to women while holding on to their privileged positions - especially in the legal profession"
Muslim lawyer says lack of minorities in legal profession
A lawyer who received the ‘Services to Law’ prize at the British Muslim Awards has said there is a “massive under-representation” of ethnic minority groups in the legal profession.
Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty, on her mother and the women that inspired her
Chakrabarti was born to Hindu-Bengali parents in the suburb of [...]
First women appointed as NI High Court judges
Two women have been appointed as High Court judges for the first time in the history of the judiciary in Northern Ireland.
LinkedIn sexism row barrister speaks at women’s event
Barrister Charlotte Proudman accused male solicitor of sexism after he described her photograph on the networking site LinkedIn as 'stunning'
Suffrage and the First Women Lawyers
Dr Mari Takayanagi writes for the First 100 Years project about some links between the women's suffrage movement and the campaign by women to enter the legal profession.
First 100 Years launches #100ReasonsToDonate £100 campaign
First 100 Years is launching a campaign to fund the [...]
Dame Janet Gaymer and Rosemary Martin In Conversation
This month saw the launch of the First 100 Years’ In Conversation series, which brings together two leading lawyers from across the profession to talk about the key issues surrounding women in law. Our first event posed the question ‘How Can Innovation and Diversity Shape the Legal Profession’.
No rush for more women at the top of the legal profession, says senior judge
Lord Sumption claims rushing to achieve equality could damage the judiciary
Female barristers subjected to shocking levels of rampant sexism, says Bar report
Shocking levels of rampant sexism still exist among barristers “existing in a children’s playground” who know they can get away with “grossly disrespectful” comments, according to a major Bar Council report.
Natalie Bickford: Women are struggling to re-enter the world of work
Women who want to re-enter the world of work after having children are struggling, and business needs to do something about it
SPARK21 – sparking a 21st century debate
The First 100 Years project was born out of a [...]
Lady Littlewood
Guest post by Alice Tyson Lady Barbara ("Bill") Littlewood (1909-1995) [...]
The Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919
The First 100 Years project is celebrating the centenary of [...]
Carrie Morrison
In December 1922 Carrie Morrison became the first woman to [...]
Eleanor Sharpston
Photo credit: Court of Justice of the European Union Eleanor [...]
Eliza Orme
Eliza Orme (1848-1937) was the first woman in England to [...]
Carolyn Hitt: ‘We’re in the second decade of the 21st century but there are still places where women will never be equal’
We're in the second decade of the 21st century but there are still places where women will never be equal
Baroness Brenda Hale
Baroness Brenda Hale has always been known for her vivacious [...]
Funke Abimbola
Solicitor, Business Leader and Diversity Campaigner Funke is a multi-award-winning [...]
Cherie Booth QC
Most famously known by her married name - Blair - [...]
Shami Chakrabarti
When asked what books she wanted on the GCSE set [...]
Female Lawyers in Ireland
A guest post written by Matthew Holmes. The call to [...]
Pupillages fall as work at bar shrinks
The downward trend in the number of bar pupillages is continuing, reflecting a fall in the availability of work, statistics released by the bar’s regulator suggest.
News focus: statistics of a changing profession
The Law Society’s latest Annual Statistics Report: Trends in the solicitors' profession, published today, provides an authoritative record of the numbers of practitioners and the types of organisations they work within in England and Wales.
Elaine Aarons
Top City of London lawyer Elaine Aarons is one of [...]
First 100 Years – Background
This is a short trailer introducing the aims of the [...]
Law firms ‘will fall behind if they fail to promote women’
The future of London law firms will be threatened unless they speed up efforts to help women progress to their senior ranks, a report warned today.
The Missing Link – Bring Our History Into The Picture
Grand portraits hang in the halls of our profession’s historic [...]
Gertrude Tuckwell – London’s First Woman Magistrate
On Christmas Eve 1919 the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act became [...]
A world first: There are now more female than male solicitors in Ireland
In a first for any legal profession in the world, female Irish solicitors now outnumber male solicitors practising in the country.
‘More women’ joining Scottish legal profession
Almost two-thirds of entrants into the Scottish legal profession are women, the Law Society of Scotland has said.
Baroness Janet Cohen
Baroness Cohen has enjoyed a colourful career, excelling in a [...]
Baroness Janet Cohen: “I was convinced I have a man’s job.”
Baroness Janet Cohen talks to the First 100 Years about [...]
Female lawyers require more flexibility
In a profession in which law firms struggle to retain female talent and establish gender parity at partner level, young female lawyers stand apart.
Dawn Dixon
As a young, black woman, Dawn Dixon’s route into a [...]
Helena Normanton
Born in 1882, Helena Normanton was the first woman to [...]
Barbara Roche
Born in 1954 and educated at Jews Free School in [...]
Margaret McCabe
Born in Queensland, Australia, Margaret’s journey to prominence in the [...]
