‘It takes a sisterhood to support women in the law’, declared former long-serving MP and minister Harriet Harman at the Next 100 Years’ Inspirational Women In Law Awards last night, where she was honoured with a lifetime achievement award.
Solicitor Harman told the ceremony that the Next 100 Years, an equality for women in law campaign group, was important because women in law are ‘still relatively recent arrivals on the scene’ while men have been in the law ‘for hundreds of years and the sense of entitlement that goes with that’.
Harman told the event that women remained part of a ‘pioneering generation’ and it was hard to be a woman at the top. ‘If a woman makes a mistake, it’s regarded as an absolute disaster and she’s out on her ear. If a man makes a mistake, it’s part of the natural order of things and his buddies will be supporting him.’
Harman went on to describe the ‘three ages of men and three ages of women’ in the world of politics.
‘When you start off as a young man, you will be looked upon as young, full of promise, often pointed out as a future leader. You’re vigorous, admired and in your prime. A woman of that age is just a bit too disturbingly attractive, a bit of a distraction. She’s not in her prime.
‘As you get a bit older, the man has a wife, three children, is a family man. He is in his prime. If she’s got three children, she’s got too much on her plate. Then they get a bit older. In their 50s. He is senior, experienced, mature, bit of a silver fox. When she is 50, she’s a write-off, past it.’
Should anyone ask why the Next 100 Years project is needed, Harman said: ‘You know you have broken through. But you’re there to succeed at what you’re doing, to help other women of your generation, but above all, to be in your prime.’
The Inspirational Women In Law Awards, now in its ninth year, was hosted by Clifford Chance.
Inspirational Women in Law Awards 2024: winners
Barrister of the year
Emma-Louise Fenelon, 1 Crown Office Row, whose podcast Law Pod UK has significantly raised public awareness of complex legal issues.
Solicitor of the Year
Jacqueline McGuigan, co-founder and principal of TMP Solicitors, who has successfully represented whistleblowers and employees in high-profile cases.
Champion of the Year
Molly Lewis, an associate in the commercial dispute resolution group at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, who has dedicated many hours to supporting multiple social mobility schemes.
Paralegal of the Year
Gbemi Akanbi, founder of BlackWomenAspiringLawyers, a non-profit organisation that supports women with black heritage in their journey to becoming a lawyer.
In-House Lawyer of the Year
Tamina Greaves, Crown Prosecution Service, who is co-chair of Birmingham Black Lawyers and has been working to increase diversity within the legal profession, particularly in Birmingham and the West Midlands.
Rising Star of the Year
Jessikah Inaba, Inner Temple, the first blind black barrister in the UK.
Legal Academic of the Year
Professor Paula Giliker, University of Bristol. The third edition of her book, Vicarious Liability in Tort: A Comparative Perspective, has become a leading text in the field.
Law Student of the Year
Jodiann Gayle, founder of Legalnable, a platform designed to make legal information more accessible to the public.
CILEX Lawyer of the Year
Sally Sargesson, Irwin Mitchell, who supports junior lawyers and paralegals alongside her work on complex and contentious probate and inheritance disputes.
Mentor of the Year
Anuja Dhir KC, circuit judge at the Old Bailey, who has been actively involved in mentoring candidates for judicial appointment.
