Faculty marks centenary of Margaret Kidd's admission
Tributes were paid to past and current female advocates at an event hosted by the Faculty of Advocates last week to celebrate Dame Margaret Kidd KC, the first female member of the Scottish bar, and all those who have followed in her footsteps.
The event, in Parliament Hall, marked 100 years since Margaret Kidd's admission to Faculty on 13 July 1923, after the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 opened up the legal profession to women. It included the unveiling of a new image of her by Ann Inglis, the 13th female member of Faculty, and Dame Margaret’s great-granddaughter, Victoria Lea.
In 1926, Dame Margaret became was the first woman to appear in an appeal in the House of Lords. In 1948, she became the first woman in the United Kingdom to take silk. As Keeper of the Library from 1956 to 1969, she was also the Faculty’s first female office bearer.
Dame Margaret remained the only female member of Faculty for 26 years, until Isabel Sinclair and Margaret MacIntyre were admitted. She was also the only female office bearer until Valerie Stacey KC became Vice Dean in 2004.
Welcoming those present, treasurer of Faculty Ruth Crawford KC said: "Equality is not just being invited to the party but also being invited to dance at the party." She paid tribute to Margaret’s legacy and to other female advocates who had and continued to inspire women.
Ms Inglis, who was admitted to Faculty in 1975, remarked that "to date 255 women have followed in Margaret’s footsteps. Margaret Kidd was unfailingly kind and supportive. All of us from the early days were inspired by Margaret and I hope women at the bar today are too".
She also paid tribute to Lady Cosgrove, a friend of over 50 years. Admitted to Faculty in 1968, Hazel Cosgrove was the first woman appointed as a full time sheriff at Glasgow and became the first female Senator of the College of Justice in 1996.
Today, there are 56 women sitting on the sheriff court bench and nine on the Court of Session bench, but Laura Dunlop KC, who also spoke, said there was "still a way to go".
She added: "Diversity goes beyond the male/female metric. It extends to other underrepresented groups.
"We, those of us who followed in the footsteps of others, recognise the need to pay it forward. That is why we’re raising money for LawScot Foundation and for Womankind Worldwide tonight, very different organisations but part of the equality and diversity landscape, in Scotland and globally."