Women In Law

"Everyone is out. Mothers and father and babies line the doorsteps. Girls with their beaux, standing in the shadows, or gathered in laughing groups on the corners. And children, thousands of them everywhere, little girls playing singing games in the middle of the street, and boys running in and out, chasing each other, throwing balls, building fires, fighting, laughing, shouting. Oh it is wonderful, – this human nature with its infinite capacity, and unending desire, for joy…"

"If I had my way…we would tell the men of this country we were not going to work any more [sic], we were not going to contribute or to assist them with anything until they gave us a share in the government of the country…If this strike were possible I am willing to wager that women would be given the ballot within several hours."

"Please picture me now as one of these circus-chariot-ladies, with one hand driving an exciting tandem, — arts and law—and with the other hand holding aloft two streaming banners, —love and liberty."

"The current legal system is vicious when it comes to labor because it does not provide relief when it is most needed, because it lays too heavy a burden on the claimant and allows the corporation to escape liability by carrying the case from court to court, because it encourages dishonesty on the part of the claims agent and the ambulance chaser, and because…the greater portion of the damages paid by employers goes out in attorneys’ fees."

"The first thing brought home to me was that working people do not have the ‘luxury of grief.’ The daily tyranny of hard work in their lives leaves little time for pondering the unanswerable ‘Why’ of sorrow."

"When the strong young body of a free man is caught up by a little projecting set-screw, whirled around a shaft and battered to death, when we know that a set-screw can be countersunk at a trivial cost, when we know that the law of the state has prohibited projecting set-screws for many years, then who wants to talk about ‘three years wages to the widow’ and ‘shall it be paid in installments, or in a lump sum?’ and ‘shall the workman contribute?’ What we want is to put somebody in jail. And when the dead bodies of girls are found piled up against locked doors leading to the exits after a factory fire, when we know that locking such doors is a prevailing custom in such factories, and one that has continued in New York City since those 146 lives were lost in the Triangle Waist Company fire, who wants to hear about a great relief fund? What we want is to start a revolution."

"Seriously, does anyone suppose that love-making has gone out of fashion in California, or marriage fallen off in Wyoming, or the birth rate decreased in Colorado as a result of woman suffrage?"

"If this Congress adjourns without taking action on the woman suffrage amendment…every woman voter will know this…and we have faith that the woman voter will stand by us. We are ready to go into this struggle if you force us to, but we are not eager for it. Gentlemen, why turn us into enemies. Why not keep us as friends?"

"Whatever immunities a sitting President may enjoy, the United States has only one Chief Executive at a time, and that position does not confer a lifelong ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ pass."

"Defendant’s four-year service as commander in chief did not bestow on him the divine right of kings to evade the criminal accountability that governs his fellow citizens."

"Judge Chutkan can handle this quite quickly if she wants to and I think she probably will. She was a very efficient judge. She will give each side 10 days to brief it, have a hearing and decide it. She knows whatever she decides is not going to stay with her."

"A judge’s rulings should never be affected by political ideology or motivation. I can state unreservedly that should I be confirmed, my rulings will be based on text and precedent, and my decisions will be made solely on the application of the law to the facts"

"There have to be consequences for participating in an attempted violent overthrow of the government beyond sitting at home"

"There remains a severe lack of visible, accessible role models in our society"

"The country is watching to see what the consequences are for something that has not ever happened in the history of this country before"

"More affordable childcare provision for working parents. The economic benefits of empowering parents to work is huge yet many families find that it is not worth both parents working due to exorbitant childcare costs. This has a direct impact on the pipeline of women in business and is a huge factor in why we have such a small number of senior, female leaders. I would love the opportunity to radically shape and influence government provision and policy on this as a way of both boosting the UK’s economy and empowering parents."

"To compare the actions of people around the country protesting, mostly peacefully, for civil rights, to a violent mob seeking to overthrow the lawfully elected government is a false equivalency and downplays the very real danger that the crowd on January 6 posed to our democracy."

"I do this work for a cause and not for applause. Improving diversity and maximising potential is my calling and I would still make sacrifices for this cause even if no recognition was forthcoming"

"It was definitely the first time my son came with me to a speaking engagement at the London office of one of the world’s largest law firms. He was only 9 years old but immediately started ‘working the room’ and networking with others. He spoke to everyone from the receptionist to senior partners of the firm. I have a picture of him sitting on the balcony with the firm’s global chair, having a conversation, a priceless and memorable moment"

"Initially, it was juggling long hours working as a corporate solicitor in central London with being a mum. Eventually I left London for a regional law firm where I could enjoy a much better life balance."

"I love combining leadership roles with caring for my son when he can benefit from seeing the impact of my leadership."

"The responsibility that all parents have to shape a young life is truly admirable."

"Definitely! When my son was younger, I learnt to do a lot of things very quickly, especially if he was having a nap. We are a single parent family so I became a lot more efficient in how I spent my time generally. I found this mindset very useful when I returned to work full time after maternity leave. Part of this was learning to prioritise very quickly what was important and what could wait. I became less of a perfectionist after having my son and realised that ‘good enough’ was what was required – perfectionism is totally unattainable."

"Yes. I am less likely to suffer fools and my core values are deeply entrenched. I refused to compromise on my parenting, ultimately leading to me leaving my role as a corporate solicitor in a central London law firm for a similar role with a regional firm. At the same time, I moved out of London to Hertfordshire, creating a much better life balance. I became a lot more decisive (again, because this makes best use of time) and even more driven to deliver and get things done within the time available. Ultimately, having my son improved my leadership style and my overall performance."

"I rarely feel guilty these days as my son is older but when he was younger, I did experience a lot of guilt. This is par for the course when you have very young children whilst also holding down a demanding career – you never feel as if you are doing a good job either at home or at work. However, before you know it, your ‘baby’ is a teenager who needs you less and less and you start yearning for the days when he was more dependant on you!"

"I look at my son and realise that I must have done something right! He is a very mature, 15 year old boy who helps me a lot with chores around the house and is really kind and considerate. He is popular at school with a very loyal and supportive group of friends. We, of course, have silly rows (he is a teenager after all!) but everyone comments on how polite, respectful and articulate he is. He knows right from wrong and has a clear sense of his own identity, always standing up for what he believes in. My diversity campaigning has also clearly rubbed off on him – he is a HeForShe advocate and a strong male gender champion. I am very proud of him."

"However, I want to be absolutely clear and say that I do this work for a cause and not for applause. Improving diversity and maximising potential is my calling and I would still make sacrifices for this cause even if no recognition was forthcoming. I am visible about what I do not to brag, show off or self-promote but because research has consistently shown that there remains a severe lack of visible, accessible role models in our society, causing fundamental issues for those looking for an example to follow. This is particularly acute within the ethnic minority community."

"I remained an invisible diversity campaigner for several years and shied away from the exposure and vulnerability that comes with raising your head above the parapet. I later realised that my influence and impact would be much enhanced if I was more visible. A friend once told me that "a world of opportunity awaits the visible". Since making the decision to become more visible a few years ago, I have been able to drive more impactful change."

"I have been honoured to receive several award nominations and other recognitions for my work which is truly humbling. I deeply cherish every single one and I am greatly encouraged and uplifted by them."

"Staying focused, determined and tenacious, being brave enough to stand out from the crowd and be my own person, constantly learning from my mistakes and getting constructive feedback to help me improve, giving back to others and maintaining my faith have all been key to my success."

"With that in mind, I do hope that you will be inspired and motivated to join me on this exciting journey."

"To not worry so much about the things I couldn’t control and to focus on changing the things that I could control. This attitude would have saved me many sleepless nights and lots of angst."

"It would be impossible for me to do everything and I mean no offence by declining your request."

"My focus is on 3 main diversity strands - gender, ethnicity and social background. I am also an LGBTQI and disability ally. I regularly spearhead positive change through various fora and write regularly about diversity and related issues."

"In addition, I provide inspirational talks to thousands of school children and University students annually as well as leadership mentoring & coaching to students and young professionals. A solid, rounded education is of paramount importance and I have twice served as a school governor. I proactively sponsor development opportunities for my mentees whenever I can."

"To this end, I personally lead on, sponsor, champion and support a wide range of initiatives and projects, working with a number of organisations to drive change. I have worked with the Law Society, large corporates, various national and global law firms, Aspiring Solicitors, Speakers4Schools and the UK Government to name a few."

"I am also a regular media contributor, providing commentary on both BBC TV and radio channels."

"My CV is sometime 2-4 pages long.i would never advise anyone to have a CV run 22-23 pages.certainly,my LinkedIn profile runs to 22-23 pages because I have been very creative."

"My first career was in law, working as a corporate lawyer. I practised law as a corporate solicitor for 12 years. My second career was in healthcare where I worked as a C-suite healthcare executive for 2 global pharmaceutical organisations for almost a decade."

"I believe that everyone should be given the opportunity to maximise their potential irrespective of background. Sadly, it is often only those on the field who are aware of the uphill struggle that they face. We need to empower others if we find ourselves in a position of privilege, embracing and celebrating our differences to work towards building a better society"

"Alongside this, my consistent goal throughout my career is to promote, encourage and campaign for more equality, diversity and inclusion across the corporate world and society as a whole."

"Studying law was a real break from what they expected of me. It was a big deal to choose an alternative career to medicine, so I had to make a real go of it."

"When you have more than you need, build a longer table—not a higher fence."

"I was absolutely stunned when I received an official letter from the Cabinet Office informing me of this in early May but have had to keep this news confidential until now."

"I decided not to become a doctor – my mum and dad are doctors, my three younger siblings are doctors. I loved the science, but not the blood and pain. It wasn’t going to happen."

"I have experienced bias and situations where, being a black woman, I was judged more harshly over other colleagues. You are more likely to be noticed and are far more likely to have negative judgements made about you if you are part of an ethnic minority."

"I found it extremely difficult to secure an entry-level position when I finished the QLTT (now QLTS) transfer test and needed to gain experience before qualification. To get my foot in the door, I drew up a list of the top 100 law firms specialising in corporate law and did the same with the top 50 in- house teams. I then proceeded to cold-call the heads of department at all 150 organisations."

"Juggling all this is not at all easy and I do decline most requests for my assistance due to time constraints."

"I have experienced both racial and gender-based discrimination in the workplace and was angry about this for many years. Instead of staying angry, I decided to do something about it! My aim is to level the playing field by empowering the next generation (and, indeed, others) to maximize their potential with a view to seeing an end to all forms of discrimination in the work place and in wider society. This challenge is huge but, to me, is worth pursuing and making sacrifices for."

"At that interview, the head of legal (who is English but whose partner is of Asian descent) asked me if I thought my race had been a factor in me not getting interviews with other organisations. That was, honestly, the first time I had even considered race as being something that could inhibit my progress. Thankfully, I was offered a role by her and was able to qualify as a solicitor in-house."