Lady Hale to talk at Chichester university

Baroness Hale of Richmond DBE will be speaking about her extensive career at the forefront of UK judiciary as the first female Law Lord on Monday February 10.

The brooched Baroness made headlines late last year after the country’s highest court came into conflict with the government over its prorogation of Parliament.

The first and only female President of the Supreme Court, she has campaigned for greater equality and diversity across the judicial system.

She is also a leading voice in calls to modernise the legal system, and has spoken out about the senior judiciary which, she said, is 'not only mainly male, overwhelmingly white, but also largely the product of a limited range of educational institutions and social backgrounds.'

The event has been organised by senior lecturer Dr Amy Elkington, who manages the University of Chichester’s newly-launched LLB (Hons) Law degree.

Dr Elkington said: “It is an incredible privilege to welcome Lady Hale to the University of Chichester.

“She is a trailblazer for women – as demonstrated by her motto which, in Latin, translates as ‘women are equal to everything’ – and is an inspirational figure for aspiring lawyers who has campaigned tirelessly for diversity within the judiciary and equality in law.”

How Lady Hale’s career broke barriers in the judiciary

Lady Hale became the first woman to serve on the Law Commission, in the 1980s, and was a driving force behind legal rulings that have protected children with their own legal rights.

She was also responsible for a ground-breaking ruling that widened the definition of domestic violence beyond simple physical assault.

After a varied career as an academic lawyer, law reformer and judge, including teaching at Manchester University for 18 years, she was appointed to the High Court in 1994, promoted to the Court of Appeal of England and Wales in 1999 and to the House of Lords in 2004.

Since her appointment to President of the Supreme Court, in 2017, Lady Hale has presided over some of the biggest stories in recent British legal history, including judgments around triggering Article 50, to kickstart Brexit, and more recently the effort to prorogue Parliament, which was deemed unlawful.

To find out more about Lady Hale’s visit to the University of Chichester go to www.chi.ac.uk.

For more about the LLB (Hons) Law degree go to www.chi.ac.uk/humanities/undergraduate/llb-law.