Involvement of women in the study and practice of law
Women in law
describes the role played by women in the
legal profession
and related occupations, which includes
lawyers
(also called
barristers
,
advocates
,
solicitors
,
attorneys
or legal counselors),
paralegals
,
prosecutors
(also called
District Attorneys
or
Crown Prosecutors
),
judges
, legal scholars (including
feminist legal theorists
), law professors and
law school
deans.
Representation and working conditions
[
edit
]
United States
[
edit
]
The
American Bar Association
reported that in 2014, women made up 34% of the legal profession and men made up 66%.
[1]
In private practice law firms, women make up 20.2% of partners, 17% of equity partners and 4% of managing partners in the 200 biggest law firms.
[1]
At the junior level of the profession, women make up 44.8% of associates and 45.3% of summer associates.
[1]
In 2014 in
Fortune 500
corporations, 21% of the
general counsels
were women and 79% were men. Of these 21% of women general counsels, 81.9% were Caucasian, 10.5% were African-American, 5.7% were Hispanic, 1.9% were Asian-American/Pacific Islanders, and 0% were Middle Eastern.
[1]
In 2009, women were 21.6% of law school Deans, 45.7% of Associate, Vice-Deans or Deputy Deans and 66.2% of Assistant Deans. Women have better representation on law school
Law Reviews
. In the top 50 schools as ranked by
US World and News Reports
in 2012?2013, women made up 46% of leadership positions and 38% of editor-in-chief positions.
[1]
In 2012, women held 27.1% of all federal and state judge positions, while men held 73.9%.
[1]
In 2014, three of nine Supreme Court justices were women (33%), 33% of Circuit Court of Appeals judges and 24% of federal court judges.
[1]
Women held 27% of all state judge positions.
During the 2012?2013 academic year, women made up 47% of
Juris Doctor
(JD) students, people of color made up 25.8% of JD students.
[2]
In 2009 in the US, women made up 20.6% of law school deans.
[2]
In the US in 2014, 32.9% of all lawyers were women.
[2]
44.8% of law firm associates were women in 2013.
[2]
In the 50 "best law firms for women" in the US, "19% of the equity partners were women,
29% of the nonequity partners were women, and 42% of... counsels were women.
[2]
A survey
[
when?
]
indicates that 96% of US law firms state that their highest paid partner is male.
[2]
"Only 24.1% of all federal judgeships were held by women, and only 27.5% of state judgeships were held by women."
[2]
Women lawyers' salaries were "83% of men lawyers' salaries in 2014".
[2]
In the US, while women made up 34% of the legal profession in 2014, women are underrepresented in senior positions in all areas of the profession. There has been an increase in women in the law field from the 1970s to 2010, but the increase has been seen in entry level jobs. In 2020, 37% of lawyers were female.
[3]
Women of color
are even more underrepresented in the legal profession.
[1]
In private practice law firms, women make up just 4% of managing partners in the 200 biggest law firms.
[1]
In 2014 in
Fortune 500
corporations, 21% of the
general counsels
were women, of which only 10.5% were African-American, 5.7% were Hispanic, 1.9% were Asian-American/Pacific Islanders, and 0% were Middle Eastern.
[1]
In 2009, 21.6% of law school Deans were women. Women held 27.1% of all federal and state judge positions in 2012.
[1]
In the US, "[w]omen of color were more likely than any other group to experience exclusion from other employees, racial and gender stereotyping."
[2]
There are few women law school deans; the list includes
Joan Mahoney
,
Barbara Aronstein Black
at
Columbia Law School
,
Elena Kagan
at
Harvard Law School
,
Kathleen Sullivan
at
Stanford Law School
, Kathleen Boonzang at Seton Hall Law, and the Hon. Kristin Booth Glenn and Michelle J. Anderson at the
City University of New York School of Law
.
Women of color
[
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]
The National Association for Law Placement and a recent survey of diversity at 232 law firms show that women of color and black women specifically continue to be significantly underrepresented, making up 8.57% and 1.73% of all attorneys, respectively. Law firms are overwhelmingly white and male, despite efforts to recruit people of color from prestigious institutions.
[4]
Representation
[
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]
The National Association for Law Placement (NALP) found that every year since 2009 there has been a decline of African-American associates?“from 4.66 percent to 3.95 percent."
[5]
According to a November 2015 NALP press release, at just 2.55 percent of partners, minority women remain the most underrepresented group at partnership level.
[5]
Treatment
[
edit
]
In a 2008 survey, by the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL), the report found that women of color view their workplace as racially/ethnically stereotypical and exclusionary as a result. Women of color also felt that law firms were not taking enough action to increase diversity and when actions were taken they were not executed effectively.
[6]
The America Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession released a report which was a culmination of a study meant to address the decline of women of color in the legal profession. In the study, women of color were given the opportunity to express concern over the negative effects they faced in the workplace and how those effects carried into their personal life. Women of color reported feelings of exclusion, isolation, and as though they were receiving more unwanted critical attention than their counterparts.
[7]
The American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession when looking at reports on the treatment of women of color in the legal profession were disappointed with the patterns they noticed which led the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession to undertake their own research in 2003, the Women of Color Research Initiative. In both law firms and corporate legal departments the findings were that women of color "receive less compensation than men and white women; are denied equal access to significant assignments, mentoring and sponsorship opportunities; receive fewer promotions; and have the highest rate of attrition."
[5]
There is a ripple effect within the treatment of women of color. Women of color are put at a disadvantage early on making "the ultimate result that women of color miss opportunities to get better work assignments, more client contact, and more billable hours."
[7]
Women of color's treatment within the legal profession and their feelings about this treatment have affected the retention of women of color in the legal profession. Women of color leave law firms at a high rate, "nearly 75 percent leave by their fifth year, and nearly 86 percent leave before their seventh year."
[6]
Strategy
[
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]
ABA's Commission on Women in the Profession released a report aimed at identifying challenges faced by women of color in law firms and found that “to overcome systemic discrimination against women of color, firms must recognize that the experiences of women of color are different from those of other groups; implementing changes to reflect this difference is necessary for retention. Firms and corporations must initiate active mentorship programs and encourage organization-wide discussions about issues concerning women of color, and constructive feedback is required.”
[7]
After the release of this report, several law firms have attempted the recommendations set forth by the report. Law firms began initiatives that focus on recruiting women of color as well as ensuring the retention of women of color as well. Recruiting of minority women has been increased through law firms finding summer associates by doing interviews “at the Southeast Minority Career Fair, MCCA/Vault Career Fair, Specialty Bar Association, Lavender Law Career Fair, and at schools such as Howard University School of Law and North Carolina Central School of Law.”
[7]
Canada
[
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]
In 2010 in Canada, "there were 22,261 practicing women lawyers and 37,617 practicing men lawyers."
[2]
Canadian studies show that "50% of lawyers said they felt their firms were doing "poorly" or "very poorly" in their provision of flexible work arrangements."
[2]
More women lawyers found it "difficult to manage the demands of work and personal/family life" than men, with 75% of women reporting these challenges versus 66% of men associates.
[2]
A 2010 report about Ontario lawyers from 1971 to 2006 indicates that "...racialized women accounted for 16% of all lawyers under 30, compared to 5% of lawyers 30 and older in 2006. Visible minority lawyers accounted for 11.5% of all lawyers in 2006. Aboriginal lawyers accounted for 1.0% of all lawyers in 2006.
[2]
As well, "...
racialized
women accounted for 16% of all lawyers under 30" in 2006 in Ontario and women Aboriginal lawyers accounted for 1%.
[2]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
[
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]
In 2010, a study found the estimated proportion of female lawyers in 210 countries.
[8]
The study included Algeria (28%), Bahrain (27%), Egypt (26%), Iran (30%), Iraq (28%), Israel (43%), Jordan (33%), Kuwait (30%), Lebanon (29%), Morocco (22%), Oman (25%), Palestine (26%), Qatar (29%), Saudi Arabia (31%), Syria (25%), Turkey (35%), United Arab Emirates (28%), and Yemen (22%).
[8]
Lawyers and law professors in the Middle East believe the beginning of the 21st century allowed for an increased interest in the field of law, whereas some researchers believe part of the increase is due to the 2011
Arab Spring
revolts.
[9]
Researcher Rania Maktabi noticed that compared to other nations in MENA, women's issues in Morocco, Lebanon and Kuwait have been addressed less violently and also have the highest rates of female employment in the region.
[9]
Female lawyers in these three nations tackle the patriarchal legal system by introducing reforms in family law, criminal law, and nationality law.
[10]
Maktabi argues in her research that the increased number of female lawyers involved in women's legal issues in Morocco, Lebanon, and Kuwait has a direct impact on the strengthening of women's rights in those states.
[10]
Organizations
[
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]
Center for Women in Law (US)
[
edit
]
The
Center for Women in Law
is a US organization set up and funded by women, says it is "devoted to the success of the entire spectrum of women in law ... serves as a national resource to convene leaders, generate ideas, and lead change".
[11]
It combines theory with practice, addressing issues facing individuals and the profession as a whole. The Center is a Vision 2020 National Ally.
[12]
The Center was founded in 2008 by a group of women, many of whom were alumnae of
The University of Texas School of Law
, and many of whom graduated from law school in earlier decades when it was not common for women to pursue law as a career. The group began discussing the issues faced by women lawyers and became determined to understand fully and address effectively the underlying causes of the barriers to advancement faced by women lawyers. The Austin Manifesto calls for specific, concrete steps to tackle the obstacles facing women in the legal profession today. The center holds summits and meetings on issues affecting women in the legal profession.
National Women's Law Center (US)
[
edit
]
The
National Women's Law Center
(NWLC) is a
United States
non-profit organization
founded in 1972 and based in Washington, D.C. The Center advocates for women's rights through litigation and policy initiatives. It began when female administrative staff and law students at the
Center for Law and Social Policy
demanded that their pay be improved, that the center hire female lawyers, that they no longer be expected to serve coffee, and that the center create a women's program.
[13]
Marcia Greenberger
was hired in 1972 to start the program and
Nancy Duff Campbell
joined her in 1978.
[13]
In 1981, the two decided to turn the program into the separate National Women's Law Center.
[13]
[14]
Women's Legal Education and Action Fund (Canada)
[
edit
]
Women's Legal Education and Action Fund
, referred to by the
acronym
LEAF, is the "...only national organization in Canada that exists to ensure the equality rights of women and girls under the law.".
[15]
Established on April 19, 1985, LEAF was formed in response to the enactment of
Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
to ensure that there was fair and unbiased interpretation of women's Charter rights by the courts. LEAF performs legal research and
intervenes
in
appellate
and
Supreme Court of Canada
cases on women's issues. LEAF has been an intervener in many significant decisions of the Supreme Court of Canada, particularly cases involving section 15 Charter challenges. In addition to its legal work, LEAF also organizes speaking engagements and projects that allow lawyers interested in women's rights to educate one another, to educate the public, and to create collective responses to legal issues related to women's equality. LEAF was created by founding mother
Doris Anderson
and other women.
[16]
Women in Law and Litigation (India)
[
edit
]
Women in Law and Litigation
(WILL) was formed in India in 2014 by women lawyers, judges and legal professionals to deal with
gender discrimination
faced by women in the field of law. The litigating public prefers to deal with male lawyers.
[17]
The society was formed under the supervision of
Supreme Court of India
and the justice of Supreme Court of India,
Ranjana Desai
.
[18]
WILL was formed to provide professional support, advocacy skills, and a platform for discussion on ways for development of women lawyers.
Justice Hima Kohli
of the
High Court (Delhi)
defined WILL as the society would be a "way to give back to the system for senior lawyers and legal practitioners who have "reached high positions".
[17]
Feminist perspectives
[
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]
Feminist legal theory
, also known as feminist
jurisprudence
, is based on the belief that the law has been fundamental in
women's historical subordination
.
[19]
The project of feminist
legal theory
is twofold. First, feminist jurisprudence seeks to explain ways in which the law played a role in women's former subordinate status. Second, it is dedicated to changing women's status through a reworking of the law and its approach to
gender
. In 1984
Martha Fineman
founded the
Feminism and Legal Theory Project
at the
University of Wisconsin Law School
to explore the relationships between
feminist theory
, practice, and law, which has been instrumental in the development of feminist legal theory.
The
liberal
model of
equality under the law
operates from within the liberal legal paradigm and generally embraces liberal values and the rights-based approach to law, though it takes issue with how the liberal framework has operated in practice. The difference model emphasizes the significance of
gender differences
and holds that these differences should not be obscured by the law, but should be taken into account by it. The dominance model views the legal system as a mechanism for the perpetuation of male dominance. Feminists from the
postmodern
camp have deconstructed the notions of objectivity and neutrality, claiming that every perspective is socially situated. See
equality feminism
,
difference feminism
,
radical feminism
, and
postmodern feminism
for context.
Notable scholars include:
Feminist philosophy of law
[
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]
Feminist
philosophy of law
"...identifies the pervasive influence of patriarchy on legal structures, demonstrates its effects on the material condition of women and girls, and develops reforms to correct gender injustice, exploitation, or restriction."
[20]
Feminist philosophy of law uses approaches drawn from "...
feminist epistemology
, relational metaphysics,
feminist political theory
, and other developments in
feminist philosophy
to understand how legal institutions enforce dominant masculinist norms."
[20]
In the contemporary era, feminist philosophy of law also takes account of approaches such as "...
human rights theory
,
postcolonial theory
, critical legal studies, critical
race theory
,
queer theory
, and
disability studies
."
[20]
As with feminism in general, there are many subtypes of feminist philosophy of law, including "...radical, socialist and Marxist, relational, cultural, postmodern, dominance, difference, pragmatist, and liberal approaches."
[20]
Feminist philosophers of law argue that "... law makes
systemic bias
(as opposed to personal biases of particular individuals) invisible, normal, entrenched, and thus difficult to identify and to oppose."
[20]
Feminist philosophers of law view laws as "...patriarchal, reflecting ancient and almost universal presumptions of
gender inequality
."
[20]
Some of the legal issues analyzed by feminist philosophers of law include
marriage
,
reproductive rights
(e.g., pertaining to laws on
abortion
), the "commodification of the body" (as in
sex work
) and
violence against women
.
[20]
History
[
edit
]
United Kingdom
[
edit
]
In the United Kingdom, the first woman to pass a law degree was
Eliza Orme
, who graduated from
University College London
in 1888. She was not allowed to qualify to practice as either a solicitor or a barrister. It was not until 1919, with the passage of the
Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919
that women could enter the legal profession. This had been challenged in 1914 in a case,
Bebb v Law Society
, in which the Court of Appeal found that women did not fall within the legal definition of "persons" and so could not become lawyers. The 1919 act also allowed women to serve on juries for the first time.
Saudi Arabia
[
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]
Saudi Arabia, along with several other Gulf countries, has decided to put an emphasis on promoting jobs rather than oil production to help their economy.
[21]
The Saudi government took initiatives to boost female participation in the labor force.
[21]
Historically, women were not encouraged to participate in professional academic concentrations, including law.
[21]
However, in 2004, the government allowed law degree programs to be studied in women's universities.
[22]
Four years later, the first female students graduated with law degrees, but could not practice in courts, which consisted of an all-male judiciary.
[22]
Women with law degrees could only work as "legal consultants," which barred them from representing clients.
[23]
In 2011, amongst the political uprising climate in the Middle East, female lawyers pushed a social media campaign called ''I am a female lawyer."
[23]
The campaign brought attention to the discriminatory treatment of women who were not allowed to practice law in their own countries, despite their degrees.
[23]
In October 2012,
King Abdullah
announced his acceptance of a petition by a group of female law graduates.
[24]
The 3,000 signatures permitted the registration by women for law licenses.
[24]
However, the Ministry of Justice acted otherwise and refused to process registration applications from female law graduates.
[24]
In April 2013, the Justice Ministry allowed a King Abdulaziz University graduate from Jeddah,
Arwa al-Hujaili
, to become the first female legal trainee in Saudi Arabia.
[23]
As a trainee, she was allowed to practice law, similar to a "legal consultant," but given a full license after three years of apprenticeship.
In October 2013, a new policy passed allowing all women to seek a legal license to practice law after receiving a university degree in law and three years of apprenticeship.
[25]
On October 6, 2013,
Bayan Mahmoud Al-Zahran
received the first license from the Justice Ministry, thus becoming the first licensed female lawyer in Saudi Arabia.
[26]
Zahran began her legal career with dedication to domestic violence issues, then focused on criminal law.
[26]
The following month, Zahran represented a client, the first time for a Saudi woman, amongst the General Court in Jidda.
[27]
In January 2014, Zahran opened the first female law firm.
[27]
Her firm focuses on women's issues.
[27]
As of November 2015, thousands of Saudi women have degrees in law, but only sixty-seven are licensed to practice.
[22]
In 2017, Saudi female students attended universities at a gross enrollment rate higher than Saudi male students, at 97.5% and 41.6%, respectively.
[21]
Notable individuals
[
edit
]
United States
[
edit
]
- Mary Bartelme
(1866 ? 1954) was called by
The New York Times
in 1913, "America's only woman judge".
[28]
She was internationally known for her pioneering work in the creation and administration of
juvenile court
.
[29]
She also served as vice chair of the suffragist
National Woman's Party
.
[30]
- Annette Abbott Adams
(1877?1956) was an American lawyer and judge who was the first woman to be the
Assistant Attorney General
in the United States.
[31]
She obtained her law degree in 1912. Before beginning her legal career, she was one of the first female school principals in California. In 1950, she served by special assignment on a case in the
California Supreme Court
, becoming the first woman to sit on that court.
[32]
- Florence E. Allen
(1884 ? 1966) was an American judge who was the first woman to serve on a state
supreme court
and one of the first two women to serve as a
United States federal judge
. She finished a master's degree in
political science
from Western Reserve in 1908.
[33]
and took courses in
constitutional law
. She wanted to do a law degree, but at that time, Western Reserve's law school did not admit women. Allen attended the law school at the
University of Chicago
for a year, and then transferred to
New York University
. In 1913, she got her law degree, graduating with honors. She became interested in politics, and more committed to the cause of women's
suffrage
. She began challenging local laws that limited women's participation in the political process. She argued one case that went all the way to the Ohio Supreme Court. In 1919, she was appointed the assistant prosecuting attorney for Cleveland's
Cuyahoga County
. By 1920, she was elected as a Common Pleas judge. In 1922, Allen was elected to the
Ohio Supreme Court
. She was appointed to the
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
in 1934, making her one of the first women federal judges.
- Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander
(1898 – 1989), was the second
African-American
woman to receive a
Ph.D.
in the
United States
, and the first woman to receive a law degree from the
University of Pennsylvania Law School
. She was the first African-American woman to practice law in Pennsylvania.
[34]
She was the first African-American woman appointed as Assistant City Solicitor for the City of Philadelphia.
- Helen Elsie Austin
(1908?2004) was an American attorney and US foreign service officer who was among the first
African Americans
admitted to the practice of law in the United States.
[35]
She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1928 and a
Bachelor of Laws
degree in 1930 from the
University of Cincinnati
, becoming the first black woman to graduate from the UC Law School.
[36]
Austin was on the staff of the Rocky Mountain
Law Review
and of the
Cincinnati Law Review
.
[37]
In 1938 she received a
Doctor of Laws
degree from
Wilberforce University
. She was the first black woman to serve as Assistant Attorney General in Ohio (1937?38) and became legal advisor to the
District of Columbia
government in 1939.
- Elreta Melton Alexander-Ralston
(1919?1998) was a black female American lawyer and judge in North Carolina at a time when there were only a handful of practising female or black lawyers in that state. She was a trial attorney and
District Court Judge
. She has remained largely unrecognized. She was the first black woman admitted to
Columbia Law School
in 1943 at the age of twenty-four. In 1947, Alexander became the first black woman to practice law in North Carolina. In 1968, Alexander became the first black judge elected in North Carolina and only the second black woman to be elected as a judge in the United States.
- Bella Abzug
(1920?1998), nicknamed "Battling Bella", was an American
lawyer
,
U.S. Representative
,
social activist
and a leader of the
Women's Movement
. In 1971, Abzug joined other leading feminists such as
Gloria Steinem
and
Betty Friedan
to found the
National Women's Political Caucus
. She was appointed to chair the National Commission on the Observance of
International Women's Year
and to plan the 1977
National Women's Conference
by
President
Gerald Ford
and led President
Jimmy Carter
's commission on women.
- Joan Mahoney
(born 1943) is a legal scholar and former dean of two law schools. She served as Dean at
Wayne State University Law School
in
Detroit, Michigan
, from 1998 to 2003, the first woman law school dean in Michigan and one of the very few women in the United States to have held the deanship at two different law schools. Prior to her tenure as Dean at Wayne State, she served from 1994 to 1996 as Dean of
Western New England College School of Law
in
Springfield, Massachusetts
. (Women law school deans remain a distinct minority; others have included
Barbara Aronstein Black
at
Columbia Law School
,
Elena Kagan
at
Harvard Law School
,
Kathleen Sullivan
at
Stanford Law School
, and the Hon. Kristin Booth Glenn and Michelle J. Anderson at the
City University of New York School of Law
). She received her B.A. and M.A. degrees at the
University of Chicago
, attended
Wayne State Law School
and received her J.D. there, and received a PhD. from
Wolfson College
,
University of Cambridge
in
England
. A distinguished legal scholar, she has published widely on reproductive rights, constitutional law, legal history, comparative civil liberties, and bioethics.
- Linda Addison
(born 1951) is an American lawyer, business executive and author. Addison is Managing Partner, U.S. of
Norton Rose Fulbright
,
[38]
chairs the U.S. Management Committee, and serves on its Global Executive Committee.
[39]
Crain's New York Business
named Addison one of the "50 Most Powerful Women in New York" in 2015.
[40]
She is a founder and Past President of the
Center for Women in Law
, and co-chaired the
New York State Bar Association
’s Task Force on the Future of the Legal Profession.
[41]
- Anita L. Allen
(born 1953)
[42]
is the
Henry R. Silverman
Professor of Law and professor of philosophy at the
University of Pennsylvania Law School
. She is also a senior fellow in the bioethics department of the
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
, a collaborating faculty member in
African studies
, and an affiliated faculty member in the women’s studies program. In 2010 President Barack Obama named Allen to the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. She is a
Hastings Center
Fellow. Allen holds a
B.A.
from
New College of Florida
. Allen received her
M.A.
and
Ph.D.
in philosophy from the
University of Michigan
. Allen was one of the first African-American women to earn a PhD in Philosophy, along with
Adrian Piper
. She is the first African-American woman to hold both a
J.D.
and Ph.D. in philosophy. Allen received her J.D. from
Harvard Law
.
Canada
[
edit
]
At the end of the nineteenth century, Canadian women were barred from professional or jury participation in the legal system?women could not become lawyers, magistrates, judges, jurors, voters or legislators.
Clara Brett Martin
(1874 – 1923) became the first female lawyer in the British Empire in 1897 after a lengthy debate in which the
Law Society of Upper Canada
tried to prevent her from joining the legal profession. After graduating with a
Bachelor of Arts
in 1891, Martin submitted a petition to the Law Society to become a member. Her petition was rejected by the Society after contentious debate, with the Society ruling that only men could be admitted to the practice of law, because the Society's statute stated that only a "person" could become a lawyer. At that time, women were not considered to be "persons" in Canada, from a legal perspective.
W. D. Balfour
sponsored a bill that provided that the word "person" in the Law Society's statute should be interpreted to include females as well as males. Martin's cause was also supported by prominent women of the day including
Emily Stowe
and
Lady Aberdeen
. With the support of the Premier,
Oliver Mowat
, legislation was passed on April 13, 1892, which permitted the admission of women as solicitors.
Helen Kinnear
QC
(1894 ? 1970) was a
Canadian
lawyer
who was the first federally appointed woman judge in Canada. She was the first woman in the
British Commonwealth
to be created a
King's Counsel
and the first in the Commonwealth appointed to a county-court bench and the first female lawyer in Canada to appear as counsel before the Supreme Court in Canada in 1935.
Marie-Claire Kirkland-Casgrain
CM
CQ
(born 1924) is a
Quebec
lawyer, judge and politician who was the first woman elected to the
Legislative Assembly of Quebec
, the first woman appointed a Cabinet minister in Quebec, the first woman appointed acting premier, and the first woman judge to serve in the Quebec Provincial Court.
Marlys Edwardh
CM
(born 1950) is a Canadian litigation and
civil rights
lawyer
who was one of the first women to practice criminal law in Canada.
[43]
Roberta Jamieson
C.M.
is a Canadian lawyer and
First Nations
activist who was the first Aboriginal woman ever to earn a law degree in Canada, the first non-Parliamentarian to be appointed an
ex officio
member of a
House of Commons committee
and the first woman appointed as
Ontario Ombudsman
.
Delia Opekokew
is a
Cree
woman from the
Canoe Lake First Nation
in
Saskatchewan
, who was the first
First Nations
lawyer admitted to the
law societies
in
Ontario
and in
Saskatchewan
[44]
as well as the first woman ever to run for the leadership of the
Assembly of First Nations
. Opekokew graduated from
Osgoode Hall
in 1977, and was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1979 and to the Bar of Saskatchewan in 1983.
[44]
Beverley McLachlin
PC
(born 1943) is the 17th and current
chief justice
of the
Supreme Court of Canada
, the first woman to hold this position, and the longest-serving chief justice in Canadian history. In her role as chief justice, she also serves as a
deputy of the Governor General of Canada
. When
Governor General
Adrienne Clarkson
was hospitalized for a
cardiac pacemaker
operation on July 8, 2005, Chief Justice McLachlin served as the deputy of the Governor General of Canada and performed the duties of the governor general as the
Administrator of Canada
.
[45]
In her role as administrator, she gave
royal assent
to the
Civil Marriage Act
, effectively legalizing
same-sex marriage in Canada
.
[45]
Some Canadian lawyers have become notable for their achievements in politics, including
Kim Campbell
,
Melanie Joly
,
Anne McLellan
,
Rachel Notley
and
Jody Wilson-Raybould
.
Notable Canadian legal professionals include:
- Louise Arbour
CC
GOQ
(born 1947) was the
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
, a former justice of the
Supreme Court of Canada
and the
Court of Appeal for Ontario
and a former Chief Prosecutor of the
International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia
and
Rwanda
. She made history with the indictment of a sitting head of state, Yugoslavian president
Slobodan Milo?evi?
, as well as the first prosecution of
sexual assault
under the articles of
crimes against humanity
.
- Kim Campbell
PC
CC
OBC
KC
(born 1947) is a Canadian politician, diplomat,
lawyer
and writer who served as the
19th
Prime Minister of Canada
, from June 25 to November 4, 1993. Campbell was the
first
, and to date, only female prime minister of Canada. She earned an
LL.B.
from the
University of British Columbia
in 1983.
- Catherine Fraser
(born 1947) was appointed as Chief Justice of
Alberta
and Chief Justice of
Northwest Territories
in 1992. She was named as the Chief Justice of the
Nunavut Court of Appeal
on March 24, 1999.
- Jennifer Stoddart
(born 1949) was the sixth
Privacy Commissioner of Canada
. In 1980 she received a licence in
civil law
from
McGill University
. As a lawyer she worked to modernize regulations and remove barriers to employment based on gender or cultural differences. She headed the Quebec Commission on Access to Information and held senior positions at the Quebec Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission, the Canadian Human Rights Commission and the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women.
[46]
- Martha Hall Findlay
(born 1959) is a Canadian businesswoman, entrepreneur, lawyer and politician from
Toronto
, Ontario. She was elected to the
House of Commons of Canada
as the
Liberal Party of Canada
's candidate in a Toronto riding.
- Beth Symes
CM
[47]
Queen's University
alumna
[48]
is a Canadian lawyer
[49]
who fought the
Canada Revenue Agency
(CRA, formerly known as Revenue Canada) all the way to the
Supreme Court of Canada
in order to deduct childcare expenses she incurred to earn income as a partner in her law firm. Symes practised law full-time as a partner in a law firm from 1982 to 1985.
[50]
During that period she employed a nanny to care for her children, and deducted the wages paid to the nanny as a business expense on her personal income tax return. Revenue Canada initially allowed these deductions, but later disallowed them. Symes objected to the re-assessment, but CRA denied the objection. Symes appealed to the
Federal Court
, which ruled that the expenses were valid and legitimate business expenses. The case was appealed to the
Supreme Court of Canada
(SCC), which ruled in Symes v. Canada [1993] that her childcare expenses were
not
deductible as business expenses.
- Marie Henein
is a Canadian
lawyer
. She is a partner of Henein Hutchison LLP, a
law firm
in
Toronto
. Henein has developed a reputation in Toronto as one of the most "respected and feared criminal lawyers in the country."
[45]
The
National Post
called her the "most high profile criminal defence lawyer in the country."
[51]
In 2011,
Canadian Lawyer
magazine named her one of the "Top 25 Most Influential" saying she was "one of the most sought-after criminal lawyers in the country" and "a key go-to lawyer for high-profile accused in Toronto."
[52]
- Anne McLellan
PC
OC
AOE
(born 1950) is a Canadian lawyer, academic and politician. She was a cabinet minister in the
Liberal
governments of
Jean Chretien
and
Paul Martin
, serving as
Deputy Prime Minister of Canada
. On February 26, 2015, she was appointed
chancellor
of
Dalhousie University
[53]
effective May 25.
[54]
She was a professor of law at the
University of New Brunswick
and the
University of Alberta
Faculty of Law
where she served at various times as associate dean and
dean
. In 2009, McLellan was appointed an Officer of the
Order of Canada
for her service as a politician and law professor, and for her contributions as a community volunteer.
- Rachel Notley
(born 1964) is a Canadian politician and the 17th and current
premier
of
Alberta
, since 2015. Notley's career before politics focused on labour law, with a specialty in workers' compensation advocacy and workplace health and safety issues.
- Melanie Joly
PC
MP
(born 1979) is a Canadian
lawyer
,
public relations
expert, and politician. She is a
Liberal
member of the
House of Commons of Canada
representing
Ahuntsic-Cartierville
and also serves as the
Minister of Canadian Heritage
in the
Cabinet
, headed by
Justin Trudeau
.
- Jody Wilson-Raybould
PC
MP
(born 1971) is a
Kwakwaka’wakw
Canadian politician and the
Liberal
Member of Parliament
for the riding of
Vancouver Granville
. She was sworn in as
Minister of Justice of Canada
on November 4, 2015; the first
Indigenous
person to be named to that post. Before entering Canadian federal politics, she was a provincial Crown prosecutor, B.C. Treaty Commissioner and Regional Chief of the B.C.
Assembly of First Nations
. She earned a law degree from the
University of British Columbia Faculty of Law
.
United Kingdom
[
edit
]
- Brenda Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond
was the first, and only, Lord Justice of Appeal in Ordinary, and following the creation of the new Supreme Court, she became the first woman to serve as a Justice of the Supreme Court. In 2017, she was appointed as the President of the Supreme Court. She was also the first woman to be appointed to the Law Commission.
- Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, Baroness Butler-Sloss
was the first woman to be appointed to the Court of Appeal as a Lord Justice of Appeal.
- Ivy Williams
was the first woman to be called to the bar, and the first woman to teach law at a British university.
- Carrie Morrison
was the first woman solicitor in the United Kingdom.
- Helena Normanton
was the first woman to become a barrister in the United Kingdom.
- Eliza Orme
was the first woman to graduate with a law degree, in 1888. Women were not allowed to enter the legal profession until 1919 with the passage of the
Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919
.
Middle East and North Africa
[
edit
]
Pakistan
[
edit
]
- Asma Jahangir
(1952-2018) was a
human rights defender
and leading lawyer in human rights
litigation
in
Pakistan
who served in different capacities. She was the first woman elected to serve as the president of the
Supreme Court Bar Association
(2010-2011),
[56]
and was a member of the Government of Pakistan's Commission of Inquiry for Women (1994-1997). She co-founded and chaired the
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
, and served as the Director of
AGHS Legal Aid Cell
which undertakes
legal research
, provides
free legal assistance
and lobbies for
legal reforms
. She led movements for the respect of
human rights
, restoration of
democracy
, and independence of
judiciary in Pakistan
.
[57]
She was imprisoned and put under house arrest for being a leader of
civil rights movements
during the military regime led by
General Zia-ul-Haq
and
General Pervez Musharraf
in 1983 and 2007 respectively. She assumed responsibilities as Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial,
Summary or Arbitrary Executions
(1998-2004),
[58]
and the Special Rapporteur on
freedom of religion or belief
(2004-2010),
[59]
and former UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the
Islamic Republic of Iran
(2016-2018).
[60]
She served as an independent expert in the investigation on
human rights
violations in Sri Lanka; a member of International Fact-Finding Mission on
Israeli settlements
in the
Palestine
. She was awarded numerous national and international
awards
including the
Hilal-i-Imtiaz
,
[61]
Sitara-i-Imtiaz
, whereas the UN Human Rights Prize
[62]
and the
Nishan-e-Imtiaz
.
[63]
- Hina Jilani
is a leading
human rights defender
and an advocate of the
Supreme Court of Pakistan
. She is the Chairperson at the
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
. Along with her sister, she co-founded Pakistan’s first-ever all-female law firm in 1981 which engaged in providing legal aid in cases involving violations of human rights of women, children, religious minorities and prisoners, and prepared bills for reforms in national laws in conformity with human rights standards. She co-founded
Women's Action Forum
, a pressure group campaigning against discriminatory laws against women. She co-founded Dastak in Lahore which provides shelter, legal and support services to women victims of violence, and carries out capacity building and advocacy initiatives.
[64]
She served as Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the situation of
Human Rights Defenders
, 2000-2008.
[65]
In 2006, she was appointed to the UN International Fact-Finding Commission on Darfur. In 2013, she joined “The Elders,” a group of statespeople, peace builders, and human rights activists brought together by Nelson Mandela. She is also a member of the Eminent Jurists Panel on Terrorism, Counter-terrorism and Human Rights. In recognition of her efforts in the field of human rights, she was awarded the Human Rights Award by the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, and
Ginetta Sagan Award
by the
Amnesty International
,
[66]
and the Stockholm Human Rights Award
[67]
by the
Swedish Bar Association
, the
International Bar Association
and the International Legal Assistance Consortium.
- Justice (Retd.) Tahira Safdar
is a jurist who served as the Chief Justice of
Balochistan High Court
, 2018-2019.
[68]
She holds a unique position of being appointed as the first female civil judge in Balochistan in 1982, and the first female chief justice of any court in the history of Pakistan.
[69]
- Justice (Retd.) Nasira Javed Iqbal
is a jurist who served as the advocate for
Supreme Court of Pakistan
, and as a judge at the
Lahore High Court
(1994-2002). She is one of the first five women lawyers making it to a coveted post as Judge at High Court. She served as the president at the
Lahore High Court Bar Association
(2009-2010) and as a member at the
Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan
. She served as a member of the Law & Justice Commission of Pakistan, and the Commission on Inquiry on
Enforced Disappearance
(2010). She has had the honor of representing Pakistan's Delegation at the
UN Human Rights Commission
in Geneva, 1995. She has been teaching law at
University of Central Punjab
,
[70]
Lahore, and is running a school for the disadvantaged children. She is a member of
Pakistan Women Lawyers’ Association
, and associated with several organizations as a member including;
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
, and Peoples Commission for Minorities Rights. She was awarded with the Sitara-i-Imtiaz
[71]
in recognition to her public services
[72]
for the judicial system.
- Justice (Retd.) Majida Rizvi
is a jurist, and currently serving as the Chairperson of Sindh Human Rights Commission.
[73]
She has served as the Chairperson of the
National Commission on the Status of Women
, 2002-2005,
[74]
and as the attorney for the Supreme Court of Pakistan, and as a judge at the
Sindh High Court
, 1994-1999.
[75]
She holds a unique position of serving as the first woman judge of a High Court in Pakistan. She has been teaching at Hamdard School of Law, and is the trustee of a shelter home ‘Panah’ in Karachi
[76]
which provides services for the protection and rehabilitation of distressed women and children seeking solace.
[77]
She is the one who dared to challenge the discriminatory Hudood laws by declaring them against Islam in 2003.She has been raising voice against gender-based discrimination and violence, and has been making efforts to educate women regarding their legal rights. She was nominated for Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. She was awarded the human rights defenders award by the government of Pakistan in 2012.
- Sarah Belal is a
barrister
and the Founder and Executive Director of the Justice Project Pakistan which provides pro bono legal representation to the most vulnerable prisoners on death row. Her organization helped secure the release of 42 Pakistani detainees from Bagram in Afghanistan,
[78]
and secured stays of executions of several death row prisoners.
[79]
She is a strong advocate for lifting the moratorium on the death penalty in Pakistan.
[80]
She is the recipient of the Franco-German Human Rights Prize,
[81]
and the National Human Rights Award by the
Government of Pakistan
.
- Maliha Zia Lari is a lawyer and a trainer. She is the Associate Director at the Legal Aid Society.
[82]
She has been engaged in analyzing laws relating to gender-based violence,
[83]
and has contributed to the drafting several laws to deal with issues such as; domestic violence, Hindu Marriage Act, etc. She has been involved in providing training to the police officers and judges at the Judicial Academies in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad.
- Jalila Haider
is a human rights attorney that provides pro-bono legal services to poverty-affected women. She is the first woman lawyer from the
Hazara community
, an ethnic minority group in
Balochistan
.
[84]
She is also a political activist associated with
Awami Workers Party
and
Women Democratic Front
, and the
Pashtun Tahafuz Movement
.
[85]
She is the founder of the ‘We the Humans-Pakistan, which works for the socio-economic uplift of local communities, and strengthening the capacity of vulnerable women. She is vocal against human rights violations including
enforced disappearances
, target killing of Baloch and Pashtuns political workers, and ethnic cleansing of the Hazaras. She was selected in the ‘News Women Power 50, and the
BBC's 100 Women
,
[86]
and as an
International Woman of Courage
by the US Secretary of State,
Michael R. Pompeo
and First Lady of USA,
Melania Trump
.
[87]
She is a recipient of
Hum TV
Women Leaders Award 2020, and Front Line Heroes Award.
[88]
- Asma Hamid is a lawyer of the
Supreme Court
, and the Head of Litigation at Asma Hamid Associates. She has provided advice to the
Government of Punjab
on an extensive range of policy matters including energy, education, health, criminal matters, prosecution reforms, agricultural laws reforms, and service matters. She has the unique distinction of being the first woman to hold the post of
Advocate General
for Punjab
[89]
in Pakistan’s history.
- Nighat Dad
is a lawyer, and the Founder and Executive Director of the Digital Rights Foundation which engages in research, capacity building, and policy advocacy to strengthen protections for
human rights defenders
against
cyber-harassment
and
surveillance
. She engages in analyzing laws, policies, and rules relating to online freedom, and advocates for the right to privacy and freedom of expression without being threatened, and raises a voice against censorship and surveillance.
[90]
She has been included as a member of Facebook's Supreme Court to oversee decisions regarding content published on the social media network.
[91]
She is Time Magazine’s next-generation leader for 2015, and has won
[92]
the Atlantic Council Freedom Award
[93]
along with the prestigious Tulip Award in 2016.
[94]
- Nida Usman Chaudhary
is a lawyer, and the Founder of Lahore Education and Research Network (LEARN) and Women in Law Initiative Pakistan.
[95]
She is serving as the Chairperson of the Gender Equality and Diversity Committee of the
Lahore High Court Bar Association
.
[96]
She has initiated a project for increasing women’s representation in law between the
Federal Ministry of Law and Justice
, Group Development Pakistan, and Women in Law Initiative Pakistan,
[97]
which is sponsored mainly by the Australian High Commission and co-sponsored by the British High Commission.
[98]
- Sana Khurshid is a lawyer and an advocate for
disability rights
. She raises a voice for developing disability-friendly buildings to make accessibility and mobility of persons with disabilities possible.
[99]
She advocates for creating better opportunities for employment without discrimination so that persons with disabilities could lead their dignified lives independently.
[100]
She is currently the Spine Ambassador for the Spinal Centre at Ghurki Trust Hospital in Lahore.
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[
edit
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Dataset
[
edit
]
- Women on High Courts
? a dataset on female judges on constitutional courts and supreme courts worldwide.
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Bartlett, K., 1990. "Feminist Legal Methods,"
Harvard Law Review
, 1039(4): 829?888.
- Bartlett, K. and R. Kennedy (eds.), 1991.
Feminist Legal Theory
, Boulder: Westview Press.
- Chamallas, M., 2003.
Introduction to Feminist Legal Theory
, 2d edition, Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen Law & Business.
- Frug, M.J., 1992. "Sexual Equality and Sexual Difference in American Law,"
New England Law Review
, 26: 665?682.
- Gould, C., 2003. "Women's Human Rights & the U.S. Constitution," in S. Schwarwenbach and P. Smith (eds.), *
Women and the United States Constitution
, New York: Columbia University Press, pp. 197?219.
- MacKinnon, C.
, 2006.
Are Women Human?
, Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
- Olsen, F. (ed.), 1995.
Feminist Legal Theory
, New York: New York University Press.
- Manji (eds.),
International Law: Modern Feminist Approaches
, Oxford and Portland, OR: Hart Publishing.
- Rackley, E., and Auchmuty, R., 2018.
Women's Legal Landmarks: Celebrating the history of women and law in the UK and Ireland
, New York and London: Hart Publishing.
- Scales, A., 2006.
Legal Feminism: Activism, Lawyering and Legal Theory
, New York: New York University Press.
- Schwarzenbach, S. and P. Smith (eds.), 2003.
Women & the United States Constitution
, New York: Columbia University Press.
- Sen, A., 1995. "Gender Inequality & Theories of Justice," in M. Nussbaum and J. Glover (eds.) 1995, pp. 259?273.
- Smith, P., 2005. "Four Themes in Feminist Legal Theory: Difference, Dominance, Domesticity & Denial," in M. Golding and W. Edmundson,
Philosophy of Law & Legal Theory
, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, pp. 90?104.
- ?? (ed.), 1993.
Feminist Jurisprudence
, New York: Oxford University Press.
- Stark, B., 2004. "Women, Globalization, & Law,"
Pace International Law Review
, 16: 333?356.
- Maria C. Escobar-Lemmon, Valerie J. Hoekstra, Alice J. Kang, and Miki Caul Kittilson. 2021. "
Breaking the Judicial Glass Ceiling: The Appointment of Women to High Courts Worldwide
."
Journal of Politics.