Today, female lawyers make up 38% of the legal workforce, but the road to achieve this was long and challenging. It can be tempting to go ahead on the same path to achieve equal footing rights for women.
The legal profession has always been a male-dominated field. But throughout the years, pioneering female attorneys have shattered barriers of discrimination and created history not just in the legal industry but real world too.
These are the women who played a crucial role in shaping the legal landscape, advocated for equal rights of women in the industry, and made a mark.
This blog is dedicated to some of the most amazing women lawyers who paved the way for future generations of female lawyers.
10 Female Lawyers Who Created a Mark in History
Although there are a lot more women who have contributed to making the legal industry more accepting of female lawyers. Here are a few renowned female lawyers in the legal industry:
Charlotte E. Ray
Charlotte Ray is one of the most famous female attorneys, and the reason is that she was the first female attorney of her color in the United States. Not just that, she was also the first one to practice in the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia.
Her admission to the District Court of Columbia was an iconic moment and motivated a lot of other famous female attorneys to get admission to their states’ bars. She even went up to open her law practice, but unfortunately, it didn’t last too long because of racial and sexist prejudice.
However, her legacy as the first black female attorney in the country paved the path for many other females of color to pursue education and build a career in law.
Margaret Brent
The next famous woman attorney on our list is Margaret Brent. She was the first one to practice law in colonial America in 1638. Brent was named the executor of the estate of Lord Calvert, who was the governor of the Maryland Colony.
This lady lawyer was popular according to some records,s she had more than 100 court cases in Maryland and Virginia. But the amazing part is that there are no solid virtual records of any other female lawyers in America until the mid-1800s; covering a span of over two hundred years.
Belva Lockwood
She was the first female lawyer to argue before the United States Supreme Court. She argued for the case, Kaiser v. Stickney. When the court rejected her for the bar, Lockwood petitioned male attorneys and members of Congress to create legislation allowing qualified women to be admitted to the bar. The “Lockwood Bill” was signed into law in 1879.
She was a strong woman who fought for women’s right to vote and to be a part of the court. She spent most of her life and career fighting for in-justice, equality, and overcoming various gender barriers.
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Some people might already be familiar with her, she has been the former First Lady of the United States, to former United States Senator, and a former US presidential candidate.
She has the most impressive political resume and a legal career in history.
Clinton graduated from Yale University. Even after that, she didn’t decide to go for the conventional career instead, she started working for the Children’s Defense Fund.
Arabella Mansfield
If we are talking about the most famous female lawyers, how can we miss Arabella Mansfield? She was the first female attorney to be admitted to the bar in the United States. After law school, she practiced in Iowa. She also became a part of the Iowa Bar Association after challenging an Iowa state law restricting the bar exam to males.
According to the reports of JD journal, as many as thirty law firms came together to enact “The Mansfield Rule,” all the firms were required to interview at least one female candidate during hiring.
Clara Shortridge Foltz
Clara is among the other famous historical lawyers and a trailblazing woman. Foltz started her legal career after her husband decided to abandon her and she was left alone with her five children. She started studying law in a local judge’s office and was supported by Sarah Knox-Goodrich.
To support her finances and law career, she started giving lectures on suffrage, starting in 1877. She authored the “Woman Lawyer Bill and challenged the legal system, which only permitted white males to be part of the bar. Later the bill replaced the term “white males” with “persons” which allowed her to take a bar exam and become the first female lawyer on the West Coast and the first woman admitted to the California bar in September 1878.
Sandra Day O’Connor
Sandra Day O’Connor is a famous lady lawyer who made history as the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court. She was the one who broke gender barriers and took a position that was usually held by men. She influenced American jurisprudence, including reproductive rights and affirmative action.
She was among those who promoted gender equality and justice throughout her career.
Bella Abzug
Bella Abzug is also known as “Battling Bella.” She is one of the most influential female attorneys and women’s rights activists in history. She was vocal about the rights of people of all genders, races, religions, and sexual orientations and advocated for them throughout her career.
She was an American lawyer and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Additionally, she was also the leader in the women’s movement, where she worked side-by-side with the likes of Gloria Steinem, Shirley Chisholm, and Betty Friedan to found the National Women’s Political Caucus.
Ada Kepley
Kepley is among our famous lady lawyers list, as she became the first female to graduate from law school. She graduated from law school one year after Mansfield and also got admitted to the Iowa bar. Although when Mansfield became a part of the Iowa bar, she wasn’t required to have a law degree to get her license. During her career, Kepley fought for temperance and women’s suffrage. She gained prominence for her work with Susan B. Anthony and Frances Willard.
Constance Baker Motley
Motley has broken so many glass ceilings for women in law. She was the first woman lawyer who was African-American to sit in the State Senate (NY). Many greenhouses, conservatories, and sunrooms around the world set up an official ban on her entering them.
Ms. Motley was not only the first female attorney to work for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, she was also the first African-American woman to argue a case before the Supreme Court.
The Bottom Line
These 10 women have changed the world of law and created history. They just do not break the barriers, societal norms, equality, and progress in the legal field. They have paved the path for the upcoming generation and inspired women to be part of the legal profession. Irrespective of gender, the legal industry is for anyone passionate about law, who wants to fight for their rights and make a real impact on the world.