Unsung Heroes: Celebrating Pioneering Women in Law

A blog post by Liz Hardie, with contributions from Fiona MacDonald, Kate Ritchie and Fred Motson.

International women’s day is celebrated this year on 8^th March 2025, and has been held annually for over one hundred years. The first international women’s day was in 1911, at a time when in the UK women did not have the right to vote; could not sit as a magistrate or on a jury; could not inherit their husband’s property; could not open a bank account; and were not entitled to equal pay at work.

Whilst many things have canged over the last 100 years, inequality between men and women remains. There is still a gender pay gap, and fewer women are involved in politics, act as company directors of large companies, or are judges, Kings Counsel or partners of law firms. Globally women’s education and health is worse than their male counterparts, and they disproportionately suffer from violence. The theme for the 2025 international women’s day is to ‘accelerate action’ for gender equality. Their website issues a call to action: Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated.

At a recent OU Law School meeting we discussed international women’s day and the involvement of women in law. The First 100 Years project charts the journey of women in law, from the first law degree being award to Eliza Orme, in 1888 (at a time when women could not become lawyers). Ada Summers became the first female magistrate in 1919, and Madge Easton Anderson became the first female solicitor in the UK in 1920. More recently, in 2018 The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom saw its first female-majority panel hear a case (Lady Hale, Lady Black and Lady Arden), and in 2020 Raffia Arshad became one of the first Hijab-wearing deputy district judges in Britain.

At the Law School meeting I asked colleagues to send me details of any female lawyer or academic they felt should be more widely known, either fictional or a real person. Here are the suggestions which were made.

Fiona suggested Baroness Helena Kennedy KC, and said: “When I think about International Women’s Day and women in law, I immediately think about when I first read ‘Eve was Framed’ by Baroness Helena Kennedy KC. I read this after completing the Bar course but before I undertook my LLM, a point in time that, with hindsight, was a pivotal moment in my legal education. I was (of course) aware of how women were under-represented in senior roles, such as judges, but what the book encouraged me to think about was a much broader impact of how women were treated differently in many ways in the legal world. Reading this book had a profound influence, partly due to the subject matter and widening my horizons, and because it was at a turning point in my legal studies, from studying what the law was to exploring the broader societal role and impact of the law.”

Kate suggested that: “The character of Honey Chandler (in the US tv series Bosch and Bosch Legacy) is striking. Chandler is a criminal defence lawyer who, in the early series, comes across as cliched and stereotypical - a hard-nosed, profit driven one dimensional character who deserves the moniker ‘Money’ Chandler. As the series has evolved, however, a more nuanced and likeable character has emerged – empathetic, intellectually sharp and prepared to show real courage in  challenging corruption in all its forms. She also knows how to carry a Kelly bag – class!”

Staying with fictional characters, Fred commented that: "I tend to find fictional representations of real-world legal practice too frustratingly inaccurate, so my nomination is Tara Abernathy who appears in Max Gladstone's Craft Sequence series of fantasy novels, beginning with Three Parts Dead. After all, how many junior associates have as their first case the unfulfilled contracts of a recently deceased god?"

Fiona also nominated Eglantyne Jebb.  “A woman who, though not a lawyer, has had a significant impact on both international law and human rights, and consequently the domestic law for many countries is a woman that not many have heard of, Eglantyne Jebb (1876 - 1928). Her name is not very well known, but her contribution to children’s rights should not be undervalued. She was the founder of Save The Children in 1919 and drafted the first Declaration of the Rights of the Child adopted by the League of Nations, the precursor to the later United Nations Declaration, and without which we might not have the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Her fascinating story is told in the biography titled ‘The Women Who Saved the Children’ written by Clare Mulley, and this story of an unconventional, influential women is well worth a read.

Finally, I would suggest Harriet Wistrich, who as a solicitor at the end of the last century represented a number of individuals who had been let down by the law, through human rights cases and challenging miscarriages of justice. The cases she brought held the establishment to account, including the actions of the police, CPS, government departments and the prison and immigration detention system. Her book ‘Sister in Law: Shocking True Stories of Fighting for Justice in a Legal System Designed by Men’ details a number of these cases, all of which I remembered from contemporary media reports: Sally Challen’s appeal against her murder conviction, acting for the victims of taxi driver and serial rapist John Worboys, women who were groomed and trafficked as children but then convicted of prostitution, and the women duped into relationships with undercover police officers. Harriet’s passion for helping women treated unfairly by the legal system is inspiring, but I was also left with a feeling of anger that the law today still does not address or prevent these injustices.

Which female lawyer or academic do you think needs to be more widely known? I would encourage you to write a short blog about them to bring them to greater attention.

Liz Hardie

Liz Hardie is Director of SCiLAB (FBL’s Scholarship centre), in which role she encourages the production of high quality research into learning and teaching across the faculty. She also works for the Open Justice Centre supervising law students carrying out pro bono projects both as part of their law degree and on an extra-curricular basis. She has previously been a module team chair and Teaching Director for the Law School. Liz’s research interests include online learning and the use of technology in legal education, including the impact of generative AI on teaching and access to justice.

Fiona MacDonald

Fiona is the current Teaching Director for the Law School. She joined The Open University in 2022 as a Lecturer in Law.

Before studying law, Fiona studied business studies part-time while working in various industries. Having completed the law conversion course and the Bar Vocational Course, she was called to the Bar by the Inner Temple (2005). Subsequently, while working as a Magistrates Legal Advisor for HMCTS, she undertook the cross-qualification and was admitted to the Roll of Solicitors (2010). She currently does not practice law as she has focused on academic research and teaching in recent years, undertaking her PhD focusing on Children’s Rights (completed 2020).

She has taught and been involved in a range of legal modules, including criminal law, criminal litigation, family law, solicitors accounts, EU law, land law, legal study skills, and research skills.

Her educational journey has been less than traditional, and as a student with severe dyslexia, she is passionate about making education available and accessible to all.

Kate Ritchie

Kate Ritchie is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Lecturer in Law (Central Academic) at The Open University (OU). She has also worked as an Associate Lecturer with the OU. Kate's research is primarily focused on the rights of migrants and, more generally, the theme of belonging. In relation to the latter, she has been involved in evaluating a peer mentoring project aimed at reducing isolation for Level 1 students and exploring how online platforms, such as Whatsapp, can facilitate this.

 

Fred Motson

Fred is a Lecturer in the Law School at the Open University. His career in Higher Education has been predominantly focused on teaching and Fred has taught across more than 20 different areas of law, at levels ranging from foundation level to postgraduate and professional courses.

Fred was heavily involved in designing and writing the new LLB Law degree which went live in 2021–2024, having written units on W111 Criminal Law, W112 Tort and Civil Justice, W211 Public Law, W212 Contract Law, W311 Trusts Law and W323 SQE: Business Law and Dispute Resolution. Fred is currently Chair of the 23J presentation of W112. He also teaches Equity, Trusts and Land Law as an associate lecturer. After a decade of full-time teaching, Fred became a student once again in 2021 when he commenced studying for his PhD through The Open University. His research combines two of his main interests, sport and technology, as it is focused on applying legal theories about interpretation and judicial decision-making to the use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in professional football.