March is Women’s History Month and, to celebrate, we want to share some Women in Law facts with you:
● The first woman admitted to the bar was Arabella Mansfield, in 1869. She had not studied at a law school but rather had studied in her brother’s office for two years before taking the bar examination.
● In the same year, Ada H. Kepley became the first woman in the United States to graduate from law school (although she was prohibited from actually practicing law by an Illinois state court rule that prohibited women from practicing law!).
● From 1950 to 1970, women made up less than 5% of attorneys. That number has steadily risen to 39% in 2023.
● Sandra Day O’Connor was the first woman to be appointed to the United States Supreme Court in 1981. Currently, four women serve on the Court: Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Happy Women’s History month!