UK Supreme Court first female president to give keynote address to Law Society of Scotland annual conference

Lady Hale, Presdient of the Supreme Court - Image credit: Supreme Court

The first female president of the UK Supreme Court’s is to give a keynote address to the Law Society of Scotland’s annual conference in October.

Lady Hale, who was appointed as president of the UK Supreme Court in September 2017, has pioneered a number of roles for women in the judiciary and the announcement was made in connection with International Women’s Day.

In 1984 she was the first woman to be appointed to the Law Commission, followed a decade later by her appointment as a High Court judge, the first to have worked primarily as an academic rather than as a practising barrister.

In 1999 she was only the second woman to be promoted to the Court of Appeal, prior to becoming the UK’s first female lord of appeal in ordinary.

When the law lords became justices of the Supreme Court in 2009, Lady Hale became the first woman to hold that position, and was appointed deputy president in 2013.

Alison Atack, Vice President of the Law Society of Scotland, said: “I’m absolutely delighted that Lady Hale will be speaking at the annual conference during my term as Law Society president.

“She has had an extraordinary career, which I’m sure is an inspiration to many in the legal profession and beyond.

“The appointment of the first female president of the Supreme Court last year marked a significant step forward in having greater equality and diversity within the judiciary, something Lady Hale has actively campaigned for, and it is completely fitting that we can announce she is to be a keynote speaker today, International Women’s Day.

“As the UK’s most senior judge, she will be able to share some of the knowledge and experience garnered during the course of her career as well as exploring the contribution of Scottish cases in developing UK law.”