International Women’s Day 2024: Inspiring inclusion

For International Women's Day 2024 and its theme #InspireInclusion, our President Sheila Webster reflects on the women who have inspired her in her career and what we can all do to progress gender equality in the legal profession.

This week is an important week for me. As only the sixth female president in almost 75 years, International Women’s Day – which takes place on 8 March each year – is a big day in the presidential year. Gender equality is important to me, as I’ve made clear from the start of my presidency.

Diane, our chief executive, and I marked the day by attending the Women in the Law Annual Dinner in Manchester. And later in the month, on 20 March, Legal Women will host an event with the Law Society of Scotland “in conversation” with Lady Dorrian, our first female Lord Justice Clerk.

This year, the theme for International Women’s Day is #InspireInclusion. That caused me to pause and consider women who have inspired me in my career and, perhaps more importantly, what I and we all can do to inspire other women.

Scotland has undoubtedly played an important part in the progression of women in law. Who can forget Madge Easton Anderson, the first woman admitted as a professional lawyer in the UK, more than 100 years ago? An important first.

I was also delighted to be able to attend an event in Parliament House last summer marking the centenary of the calling of Margaret Kidd, the first woman in the UK to appear as counsel in an appeal to the House of Lords, and then the first woman in the UK to take silk – another trailblazer.

As I look round the Council table at Law Society meetings nowadays, the number of women is encouraging. It is, as I’m sure you will know, the 75th anniversary of the Law Society of Scotland this year. It only took 26 years before the first woman was elected to Council, which might be viewed as somewhat shocking, and I remain amazed that, despite all the incredible women in the profession I meet, I am only number six as a female President!

That makes me all the more proud that in our anniversary year, for the first time, all three office bearers – President, Vice President and Past President – will be women. That’s wonderful to see and for each of us, we have, I think, a responsibility to encourage women to continue to look to lead progress in gender equality in the legal profession.

We have so many role models. Our past female presidents, our Lord Justice Clerk, our Lord Advocate, seven other female Senators of the College of Justice, three out of six of our Sheriff Principals, to mention just a few.

Last year we saw the installation of the first female Lord Clerk Register of Scotland, Dame Elish Angiolini (already a trailblazer in other ways). And this week, I attended the installation of Deborah Lovell, the first female solicitor member of the Scottish Land Court and the Lands Tribunal for Scotland.

I have found it humbling to hear from women entering the legal profession that they have been inspired by those of us who have, at whatever level, had a senior role in the profession. Every one of us whose name they read in the press or in articles, or who they see in public fora makes them believe they can do this too.

And they can, and should believe that. At a recent event I attended overseas, a young female attendee commented on what she believes to be difficulties in her country in a still male dominated profession and expressed her joy to see Scotland leading in female progression.

That said, although more women than men enter our profession at undergraduate level, by mid career levels that changes. Work to encourage women to stay in and continue to develop their careers will remain a focus for the Law Society of Scotland.

As our fifth female president Amanda Millar liked to say, much still to do!