On July 24th, in LDS
communities, the Pioneer Trek across the United States was celebrated. As I thought about that, my mind shifted to other pioneers. Many of
us know about the first women lawyers in our own part of the world. I
thought you might be interested in finding out a little bit more about some in
other parts of the world as well.
 |
| Clara Brett Martin |
(The following
information was taken from lawtimesnews.com. The information was
published in The First Women Lawyers: A Comparative Study of Gender,
Law and the Legal Professions by Mary Jane Mossman.)
Canada: Clara
Brett Martin, was called to the Ontario bar in 1897.
 |
| Arabella Babb Mansfield |
United States:
Arabella (Babb) Mansfield was admitted to the Iowa bar in 1869. The western
states of the U.S. accepted some of the very earliest women lawyers, often with
little formal record-keeping, while bar associations and law schools of the
eastern states kept women out longer.
 |
| Jeanne Chauvin |
Britain: No women
formally became English barristers or solicitors until 1921-22. But Eliza Orme
had all the credentials except the formal call and effectively practiced law
from 1875.
France: Jeanne
Chauvin was fully qualified by 1890, but was prevented from taking the avocat's
oath until 1900.
 |
| Ethel Benjamin |
New Zealand:
Ethel Benjamin was called to the bar in 1897 but was largely isolated by her
colleagues despite her acknowledged skills.
Italy: Lydia Poet
had the qualifications by 1883 and practiced law from 1885. But Italian women
were denied formal access to the profession until after the First World War.
India: Cornelia
Sorabji, a Parsee, defended a murder charge in the Indian courts in 1896, but
was denied full legal credentials on a variety of technicalities all her life.
 |
| Cornelia Sorabji |
Here is an
interesting observation from the lawtimesnews post:
Looking back
from the early 21st century, it's striking how closely clustered these dates
for the pioneer women lawyers now seem. The half century from 1870 to1920, less
than one lifetime, saw women's first access to legal careers practically
everywhere in the developed world. A tide was turning.
How grateful we are
for them. How important it is for us to keep up that pioneering spirit in our
effort to help others who will follow us.
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