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Woman's Hour

Women in Law. One hundred years of women being able to enter the legal profession.

Woman's Hour

BBC

Society & Culture

4.13K Ratings

🗓️ 23 December 2019

⏱️ 46 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We mark the centenary of women being able to enter the legal profession.

Cherie Booth QC, Dana Denis-Smith founder of the First 100 years, Abi Silver a former associate at a city law firm and now a legal consultant, Beth Collette who's a barrister in her second year of tenancy talk about what it's like for women in the profession now - how far we've come and what more needs to be done.

Mari Takayanagi a Senior Archivist at the Houses of Parliament tells us about the The Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 and the changes it brought in and the pioneering women who worked so hard to open up the profession to women.

Plus we look at what it's like to be a female magistrate We hear from former magistrate Katherine McMahon and Jacqui MacDonald who's currently serving as a magistrate in the Central and North London area as well as being Trustee at Magistrates Association

Presenter Andrea Catherwood Producer Beverley Purcell

Guest; Cherie Booth QC Guest; Dana Denis-Smith Guest; Abi Silver Guest; Beth Collette Guest; Mari Takayanagi Guest; Katherine McMahon Guest ; Jacqui MacDonald

Transcript

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0:00.0

Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something you may not know.

0:04.6

My name's Linda Davies and I Commission Podcasts for BBC Sounds.

0:08.4

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1:07.3

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1:10.7

This is the Women's Hour Podcast.

1:13.0

Good morning.

1:15.0

On this day, the 23rd of December, exactly a hundred years ago,

1:19.0

women for the first time were allowed to enter the legal profession.

1:22.0

So we are dedicating the program to women. were allowed to enter the legal profession.

1:22.8

So we are dedicating the program to women in law.

1:26.0

And I think it's fair to say that we've got a crack team of lawyers, historians and

1:30.3

magistrates all here in the studio, including one of the country's best known

...

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