President’s Jottings

INTRODUCTION

President’s Jottings

WINTER 2023

19th December 2022 marked 100 years since Carrie Morrison was first admitted to the roll of solicitors. She was the first woman to qualify as a solicitor, closely followed by Maud Crofts, Mary Pickup and Mary Sykes. Since then, many more have followed in their footsteps, and today more than two thirds of applicants entering the profession are women.

On 7th December I had the honour of attending The Law Society’s celebration of 100 Years of Women Solicitors, hosted by Amandeep Khasyria, Vice Chair of the Women Solicitors Network, in Chancery Lane. I hope that some of you were able to watch via the live stream.

We enjoyed hearing from the Attorney General the Rt. Honourable Victoria Prentis MP reflecting on how far the profession has come over the last century. Even if we may have further to go to see parity in senior positions, it is still worth celebrating the huge progress that has been made, with 53% of practicing solicitors now being female.

We heard from Dana Denis-Smith, CEO at Obelisk Support, Founder of First 100 Years, and Law Society Council Member. It was fascinating to hear how others started to pave the way before Carrie Morrison’s qualification, and how it was actually initiated thirty years prior, in the late 1800s. A father, without any sons to pass his practice on to, requested permission to train his daughter as a solicitor. He was told that it was unlawful, and even then, this was met with public and media outrage at the injustice of the legal position.

Last to speak was Law Society President Lubna Shuja, who we were delighted was able to join us for our Awards evening back in September. Lubna is the seventh female president of the Law Society. Her presidency marks the first time there have been two consecutive female presidents, taking over from I Stephanie Boyce, who was the first black woman to hold office. Lubna is also the first Muslim and first Asian president of the Law Society. Her passion for removing barriers to the profession, whatever the barrier may be, has been evident each time I have heard her speak. I am looking forward to seeing how things will continue to evolve throughout my career, and what the future of the profession will be.

Thank you for supporting Surrey Law Society through 2022, and we look forward to continuing to represent you in 2023. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the festive period and all the best for the New Year. 

Madeleine Beresford

Madeleine Beresford

President