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It is easy to feel unmotivated and overwhelmed whilst pursuing a legal career. Especially if you did not achieve a grade you hoped for in an exam or are behind on the workload. This is when it is important to reflect on goals you have met in the past, the ones you never thought you would. With this in mind, I hope to highlight a few of the many inspirational stories concerning those who came before us. The ones who struggled but still made it through and became a symbol of reliance and strength in the legal sphere.
Helena Normanton
Normanton was told by a solicitor in 1894 that she was “quite the little lawyer”, this is what sealed her fate. From that point on, she decided that she would be a lawyer.
Normanton was the first practising female barrister in England. She was provided a good education but was not as privileged as the majority of barristers who came before her. Her father was a piano tuner, however, she was raised by her mother single-handedly from the age of four due to her father’s death. She gained a first class degree in history and also wrote and became the editor for the weekly journal of the India National Congress. The law and social norms were against Normanton becoming a barrister, however, in 1919 after the Sex (Disqualification) Removal Act was passed, she was accepted to an Inn of Court – the first woman to be accepted.
The difficulties did not stop there. Normanton had to work endlessly to have a steady income. She was the first woman to prosecute in a murder trial and one of the two first women to become a King’s Counsel, whilst simultaneously writing for the Good Housekeeping magazine. She also fought extensively for women’s rights, being the first married woman to have a passport issued with her maiden name. Her 1915 pamphlet entitled “Sex Differentiation in Salary” argued for equal pay for equal work and she also fought amongst many for equal suffrage, equal parenting rights and reform of divorce laws. Normanton laid the path for all the women law students and lawyers in the UK. Without her efforts and courage, we may not be in such a fortunate position to practice law.
Pauline Campbell
The inspirations in the legal sphere are not all historical. Even now, many lawyers are making the legal career a safer and more inclusive space. Campbell is an award-winning lawyer, being awarded the Litigation Team of the Year for Lawyers in Local Government in 2016.
Campbell was born in East London after her parents left the Caribbean. This is where she was told at the age of 15 that she was not A-level material, a baseless claim that she carried with her for 19 years. Despite working 25 hours a week while pursuing a full-time law degree, she defied the odds and qualified as a solicitor at the age of 41. In 2020, she published her book, “Rice & Peas and Fish & Chips: One Woman’s Story of Overcoming Racism”, in which she delves into themes of race, racism, identity, and belonging, all set against the historical, political, and social backdrop of twentieth-century Britain to the present day.
Campbell’s achievements do not stop there. She is also a passionate public speaker with a mission “to repair the inferiority classification that still exists today and negatively impacts people of colour’s lives”. Recently, she shared her talk at TEDxWalthamstow entitled “Stolen Voices: The Power of Historical Black Voices.” Through her advocacy and daily efforts, Campbell demonstrates how it is possible to overcome unfair adversity and she inspires others to do the same.
Daisy Cooper
Law is a broad career path and becoming a barrister or solicitor is not the only option. Cooper, the deputy leader and Treasury spokesperson of the Liberal Democrats, demonstrates this truth.
Cooper was passionate about campaigning for what is right at a young age, so pursued a degree in Law. This experience exposed her to the world of politics, leading her to gain a Masters of Laws degree in public international Law. However, her pursuit into the political sphere did not come without life’s pushbacks. Cooper has the autoimmune disease Crohns and told Sky News that 12 years ago she was rushed to hospital. This is when she was told that, without major surgery, she only had four days to live. She was also told that she “will probably never be able to work again” even after recovering from the surgery. The NHS saved her life and Cooper praises them for giving her and many others their life back.
The NHS also ensured that Cooper could continue to inspire and motivate so many young people who feel as though a political career is out of their reach. She has campaigned for LGBT+ rights abroad and is a passionate environmentalist, hoping to stop untold human suffering. Similarly, she impacts young people’s lives directly by campaigning for improved standards and funding for health and education public services. I was privileged enough to meet Cooper during an event I attended with Patchwork and she truly is an idol and inspiration to those who are interested in the political world.
These women’s stories are only a few of the millions out there who fight for our futures everyday. It is important to be reminded of those who have achieved so much so that you can look up to them and aspire to achieve great things. So, go pick up your computer or textbook and start to work towards the difference you are destined to make in the legal world.
Article written by Caity Kelly, University of Bristol Undergraduate LLB
Sources:
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/blue-plaques/helena-normanton/
https://www.innertemple.org.uk/women-in-law/pioneering-women-in-law/helena-normanton/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauline-campbell-68598a71/recent-activity/all/
