• Dame Joyanne Winifred Bracewell DBE QC FRSA: From Acting to Law

    Born in Manchester into a well-off family, Joyanne Bracewell was educated largely at home and became a talented child actor. As a young teenager in 1948 she appeared in two [...]

  • Chaya Ray: BT’s First Female Lawyer

    First 100 Years is delighted to share the story of BT’s first female lawyer, Mrs. Chaya Ray. Chaya and her ex-colleagues at BT have been able to tell us about [...]

  • Baroness Brenda Hale: “I shall forever be grateful to the first.”

    These excerpts are special previews from Baroness Brenda Hale’s video interview capture her experiences of working in the legal profession, which is currently still in edit and will be published [...]

  • How Mary McAleese played the hand she was dealt.

    Mary McAleese, the second woman ever elected as president of Ireland, discusses the structural prejudices which are holding back the new generation of women working in law. She identifies the [...]

  • 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 be ‘the hands that rocked the system’ as well as the ‘the hands that rocked the cradle’. Mary Robinson’s views [...]

  • Joyce Gutteridge CBE, aka ‘Auntie Joyce’ and how she inspired me

    By Alice Ackernley (née Gutteridge) Scene: Christmas Day, 1980 Me (aged 5): [throws ball narrowly missing Christmas tree] My mother: "Alice, don’t throw balls in the house!" Me: "But I [...]

  • Lady Littlewood

    Guest post by Alice Tyson Lady Barbara ("Bill") Littlewood (1909-1995) may not be a familiar name to many, but her contributions to women in the legal profession should not be [...]

  • Carrie Morrison

    In December 1922 Carrie Morrison became the first woman to be admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales. At the age of 34, and with a varied career behind [...]

  • Eleanor Sharpston

    Photo credit: Court of Justice of the European Union Eleanor Sharpston QC, Advocate General at the European Court of Justice Interview by Alison Maitland Eleanor Sharpston QC, the first woman [...]

  • Eliza Orme

    Eliza Orme (1848-1937) was the first woman in England to earn a law degree, in 1888 at University College London; she was 39 years old and already unofficially 'practicing' law [...]

  • Baroness Brenda Hale

    Baroness Brenda Hale has always been known for her vivacious attitude towards women’s rights and diversity in the legal profession. At grammar school, she first noted there were only half [...]

  • Funke Abimbola

    Solicitor, Business Leader and Diversity Campaigner Funke is a multi-award-winning Solicitor, Business Leader and Diversity Campaigner with 18 years’ comprehensive achievements within niche ventures, regional and national businesses and global, [...]

  • Cherie Booth QC

    Most famously known by her married name - Blair - Cherie Booth QC is celebrated for her work in human rights, in particular women’s and children’s rights. Patron of many [...]

  • Shami Chakrabarti

    When asked what books she wanted on the GCSE set texts, Shami Chakrabarti cited Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. Not only is the book’s lawyer, Atticus Finch, one of [...]