Women’s Legal Landmarks – In 1919 women were allowed for the first time to enter the to enter the legal profession in the UK and Ireland.

To commemorate this historic event Hart Publishing are publishing a wonderful and inspiring book, Women’s Legal Landmarks. Edited by Erika Rackley and Rosemary Auchmuty, the book identifies key landmarks in women’s legal history. Over 80 authors write about significant achievements or turning points in women’s engagement with law and law reform.

I have written one of the chapters in the book, Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp, 1981 – 2000, which describes the phenomenon of the group of peace women who set up camp outside the Greenham Common airbase to protest the proposal to place cruise – nuclear – missiles there. The women used their position to inform the country and indeed the world about the plan. As a result of their actions, sitting in the road, blocking the exit of US air-force vehicles, entering the airbase, the women were often arrested and then, like the suffragettes before them, were jailed for their beliefs. I had the honour of representing them. The way the women used the law and the courts to further their cause is the subject of this chapter.

In a podcast recorded for Pod Academy 3 years ago, when the book was just a twinkle in Erika and Rosemary’s eyes, we talked about the plan. Listen here

The other landmarks in the book cover a wide range of topics, including matrimonial property, the right to vote, prostitution, surrogacy and assisted reproduction, rape, domestic violence, FGM, equal pay, abortion, image-based sexual abuse, and the ordination of women bishops, as well as the life stories of women who were the first to undertake key legal roles and positions.

I’ll be speaking about the book and my chapter at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies at 5.30 on 10 April 2019.

 The book is out in December 2018.