CMS Demo

1907 – 2000

Betty Archdale

Feminist, Early Woman Barrister, Cricketer and Educator

1889 – 1977

Sybil Campbell OBE

First woman full-time professional judge

1881 – 1951

Bertha Cave

Appealed to the House of Lords over her application rejection from Gray’s Inn

1883 – 1969

Lady Gladys Chatterjee OBE

Industrial welfare promoter and barrister

1891 – 1945

Monica Geikie Cobb

The first woman to hold a brief in court

1885 – 1966

Beatrice Honour Davy

Solicitor and first woman to appear at the Devon assizes

1893 – 1979

Averil Deverill

The first woman, along with Frances Kyle, to be called to the Irish Bar

1896 – 1961

Auvergne Doherty

First woman from Western Australia to be called to the Bar

1885 – 1978

Dr Letitia Fairfield CBE

Doctor, Lawyer, a War-Worker and the first Female Chief Medical Officer for London

1876 – 1963

Edith Ann Mary Haynes

Law clerk who fought for the right to practise as a lawyer

1899 – 1971

Edith Hesling

First woman to be called to Gray’s Inn and first woman on the Northern Circuit

1894 – 1958

Frances Kyle

The first woman, together with Averil Deverell, to be admitted to the Bar in Ireland

1872 – 1937

Chrystal Macmillan

A remarkable pacifist, barrister and feminist

1882 – 1957

Helena Normanton KC

First woman to practice at the Bar and feminist campaigner

1848 – 1937

Eliza Orme

First woman to earn a law degree

1893 – 1939

Marjorie Powell

First woman to be admitted to Lincoln’s Inn

1866 – 1954

Cornelia Sorabji

First woman to study law at Oxford University, first female advocate in India and first woman to practice law in India and Britain

1898 – 1981

Mithan Tata/Lam

First Indian woman to be called to the Bar and first woman barrister to practise in India

Admitted 1949, Called 1961

The Rt Hon Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo JSC

First woman to serve as Speaker in an African Parliament

Admitted 1922, Not called (practised as a solicitor)

Marion Graeme Billson

Labour candidate and solicitor

Admitted 1974, Called 1976, Bencher 1999

The Rt Hon Lady Black DBE

Family law specialist who became second woman to be a Supreme Court Judge

Admitted 1951, Called 1955, Treasurer 1998

The Rt Hon the Baroness Butler-Sloss GBE

First female Treasurer of the Inn and first female member of Court of Appeal

Admitted 1985, Called 1987, Silk 2003, Bencher 2006

The Rt Hon The Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill DBE

First Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales

Admitted 1943, Called 1947

Mary Eugenia Charles DBE

First woman to be a lawyer in Dominica, and the first to be Prime Minister

Called 1977 (Scottish Bar), Admitted 1988, Called 1988 (Bar of England and Wales), Bencher 2000

The Rt Hon The Baroness Clark of Calton QC

The first woman Advocate General for Scotland

Admitted 1929; Called 1932

Freda Corbet

British Labour politician

Admitted 1924, Called 1928

Coomee Rustom Dantra

First Burmese woman to be admitted to an Inn of Court

Admitted 1991, Called 1991, Bencher 2018

The Rt Hon Lady Dorrian

The second most senior judge and most senior woman judge in Scotland

Admitted 1957, Called 1964

Dr Frene Noshir Ginwala

Anti-apartheid campaigner who became Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa

Admitted 1970, Called 1972, Treasurer 2011

The Rt Hon Baroness Heather Hallett DBE

First woman to be appointed Vice-President of the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) and first woman to chair the Bar Council

Admitted 1959, Called 1975

Dame Rosalyn Higgins GBE JSD FBA QC

First woman judge and President of the International Court of Justice

Admitted 1924, Called 1926

Daw Phar Hmee

First woman to practise as a barrister in Burma

Admitted 1923, Called 1926

Lim Beng Hong

First ethnic-Chinese and Malayan woman to be called to the English Bar

Admitted 1931, Called 1934

Dorothy Knight Dix QC

First woman to sit as Recorder for a jury trial

Admitted 1937, Called 1940, Bencher 1965

Dame Elizabeth Lane DBE

First woman High Court Judge and first woman Bencher

Admitted 1989, Called 1990

Sara Lawson KC

The first woman General Counsel of the Serious Fraud Office

Admitted 1920, Called 1922

Theodora Llewelyn Davies

First woman to be admitted to The Inner Temple

Admitted 1927, Called 1931

Gladys Ramsarran

First woman in British Guiana to qualify as a lawyer and the first Indian woman to qualify as a lawyer in the West Indies and practise in Trinidad & Tobago (1932).

Admitted 1926; Called 1930

See Chye Hong

Second woman to be called to the Hong Kong Bar

Admitted 1927, Not called

The Rt Hon The Baroness Sharp GBE

First woman Permanent Secretary

Admitted 1978, Called 1979

The Rt Hon Dame Victoria Sharp DBE

First female President of the Queen’s Bench Division

Admitted 1984, Called 1987, Bencher 2008

The Rt Hon Lady Justice Simler DBE

The first female President of the Employment Appeal Tribunal

Admitted 1924, Called 1927

Teo Soon Kim

First Singaporean woman admitted to the Bar in Hong Kong and the Straits Settlements and first female barrister to appear at the Supreme Court in Singapore.

Admitted 1920, Called 1922

Dr Ivy Williams

First woman to be called to the Bar of England and Wales

Called: 1996
Circuit: South East
Employed Barrister: Crown Prosecution Service London
Elected as a Barrister Governing Bencher in 2022

Heidi Stonecliffe

Barrister Governing Bencher elected in 2022

Called: 2005
Circuit: South East
Chambers: Littleton Chambers, London
Elected as a Barrister Governing Bencher in 2022

John Mehrzad KC

Barrister Governing Bencher elected in 2022

Called: 1996
Circuit: Northern
Chambers: St John's Buildings, Liverpool
Elected as a Barrister Governing Bencher in 2022

Samantha Hillas KC

Barrister Governing Bencher elected in 2022

Called: 2000
Circuit: Northern
Chambers: Deans Court Chambers, Manchester
Elected as a Barrister Governing Bencher in 2019

Joseph Hart

Barrister Governing Bencher elected in 2019

Called: 1998
Circuit: Northern
Chambers: Deans Court Chambers, Manchester
Elected as a Barrister Governing Bencher in 2022

Sophie Cartwright KC

Barrister Governing Bencher elected in 2022

Called: 2003
Circuit: South Eastern
Chambers: 2 Temple Gardens, London
Elected as a Barrister Governing Bencher in 2019

Rehana Azib KC

Barrister Governing Bencher elected in 2019

Called: 1997
Employed Barrister: Deputy Director at the Government Legal Department
Elected as a Barrister Governing Bencher in 2024

Simon Regis CBE

Barrister Governing Bencher elected in 2024

Called: 1990
Circuit: Midland
Chambers: 3PB
Elected as a Barrister Governing Bencher in 2024

Vanessa Meachin KC

Barrister Governing Bencher elected in 2024

Called: 2007
Circuit: South Eastern
Chambers: Selborne Chambers
Elected as a Barrister Governing Bencher in 2024

Rahul Varma

Barrister Governing Bencher elected in 2024

1875 - 1950

Vallabhbhai Patel

Barrister, Activist and Statesman.

Dr Tunde Okewale MBE

Youngest member of The Inner Temple to be elected as a Bencher.

1834 - 1892

Thomas Morris Chester

American war correspondent, lawyer and soldier who took part in the American Civil War.

1904 – 1978

Teo Soon Kim

Singaporean barrister who became the first woman admitted to the Straits Settlement Bar, the first female barrister in Hong Kong, as well as the third Malayan Chinese woman to be a Barrister in England.

1914 - 1991

Taslim Olawale Elias QC LLD CFR GCON

Attorney-General and Chief Justice of Nigeria and a judge and President of the International Court of Justice

1906 - 1974

Stella Thomas

The first Black African woman to be called to the Bar, the first female magistrate in West Africa and the First Chief of the mid-western region in Nigeria.

1899 - 1959

The Honourable S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike

Fourth Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (1956 – 59)

1937 - 2021

Sibghatullah Kadri QC

Co-founder of the Society of Black Lawyers and Britain’s first Muslim QC.

1921 – 1980

Sir Seretse Khama GCB KBE

The first President of Botswana 1966 to 1980.

Dr S Chelvan

Globally recognised legal expert on refugee and human rights claims based on sexual or gender identity and expression.

1851 – 1930

Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan KCMG KC

Solicitor General and Tamil political leader in Sri Lanka.

Her Honour Patricia Dangor

First woman of Afro Caribbean heritage to be appointed to the Circuit Bench of England and Wales and first woman to sit on the Appeal Court for Bermuda.

1909 – 1987

Obafemi Awolowo

Nigerian nationalist and statesman who played a key role in Nigeria’s independence movement.

1933 - 1997

Moleleki Didwell Mokama

Botswana’s first African barrister who made his reputation at London’s famous criminal court, the Old Bailey.

Martin Forde KC

Independent Adviser to the Windrush Compensation Scheme about racial inequality in the UK, in immigration history and at the Bar.

Manjit Singh Gill QC

Assisted in the transformation of the Bar by promoting legislation prohibiting race discrimination against barristers.

1902 - 1962

Ma Pwa Hmee

First Burmese woman to be called to the Bar, first Burmese woman judge

Lily Tie Ten Quee

First woman in Jamaica to be called to the Bar.

Professor Leslie Thomas KC

The first Black Professor of Law in Gresham College’s 400-year history.

1927 - 2020

Leonard Woodley QC

First QC, Recorder of the Crown Court and Bencher of Afro-Caribbean heritage in the UK.

1901 - 1971

The Rt Hon The Lord Constantine MBE

Professional Cricketer, Activist, Britain’s first Black Peer and Middle Temple Honorary Bencher

1915 – 2014

Khushwant Singh

Barrister, diplomat, editor, novelist, poet, philosopher and columnist and one of the most dynamic figures in modern India.

Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo JSC CV

The first female justice of the Supreme Court in Ghana.

1866 – 1930

Joseph Ephraim Casely Hayford MBE

An inspiration for Ghana’s independence movement.

Dr Gifty Edila

First Black director of law in a council in England and Wales

1908 - 1973

Ezlynn Deraniyagala

First woman to be admitted to the Colombo Bar.

1919 - 2005

Dame Mary Eugenia Charles DBE

First female lawyer and first female Prime Minister in Dominica.

1908 – 1991

Sir Edward Richards

First Black Bermudian to head the government of Bermuda and the first Premier of Bermuda.

1821 - 1883

Reverend Cragg Haynes

Earliest known Black Middle Templar and one of the earliest formally trained Black clergymen.

1906 – 1979

Edward Akufo-Addo JSC

Second President of Ghana.

1905 - 1997

Coomee Rustom Dantra

First Burmese woman to be admitted to an Inn of Court.

Charlotte Boaitey-Kwarteng

Head of 12 Square Chambers

1928 – 2021

Sir Arthur Dion Hanna

Bahamian politician who served as the seventh Governor-General of the Bahamas from 2006 to 2012.

Ashitey Ollennu

The nickname “Judge” inspired this son of a Supreme Court Judge in Ghana to pursue a career in Law and become a barrister. He was to find himself being led by David Neuberger later to become Lord Neuberger and president of the Supreme Court and now is Head of Redemption Chambers, London.

1822 - 1883

Alexander Kennedy Isbister

First person of native American heritage to be admitted to the Bar.

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