The Women in Law Project’s mission is to research the past, document the present, and advocate for the future of women in law in Scotland and worldwide. Our vision is that women from all backgrounds have equal representation across every level of the legal sector in Scotland and globally.
Project Beginnings
2019 marked the centenary of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919, which paved the way for women to become lawyers for the first time. The University of Glasgow is proud that the first female lawyer in the UK was a graduate of the University. Madge Easton Anderson graduated on 8 November 1919 with a Bachelor in Law (BL) and graduated the following year with an LLB. She was the first practising female law agent in Scotland and the first professional female lawyer in the UK. She later became the first woman to qualify in both jurisdictions of Scotland and England and Wales.
To celebrate Madge and women in law, the School of Law held a series of events, exhibitions and projects throughout 2019 and 2020, including its flagship ‘100 Voices for 100 Years’ digital exhibition (see Voices).
Our Current Focus
We are now expanding our focus beyond the University of Glasgow graduates to create a shared space for collaboration on projects that promote women’s growth in the legal profession, explore women’s history in the law, and champion other minorities’ journeys to full representation within the legal system.
We want to hear from anyone who would like to contribute to our project. Please get in touch to share your voice or get involved by emailing info@womeninlawproject.org
Our core research team are keen to hear from anyone who is interested in collaborating on this project
I am a Professor of European Law at the University of Glasgow. I am also the vice-chair and trustee of JustRight Scotland.
Both as a scholar and teacher, I enjoy bringing people together (students, researchers, organisations, general public) to collaboratively explore ways to think about and use the law for good.
My research interests lie broadly in the field of European Union law. More specifically, my work examines the constitutional dimensions of the EU’s ‘Area of Freedom, Security and Justice’ (AFSJ) and how EU law does and could create rights and obligations to improve the lives of more marginalized individuals.
I am a Senior Lecturer in Criminal Law at the University of Glasgow and sit on the steering board of the Scottish Institute for Policing Research.
I am currently undertaking a number of empirical projects looking at intimate partner homicide.
My research interests lie in the field of criminal law and criminal justice and I have particular interest in legal responses to domestic abuse and intimate partner homicide. My research employs socio-legal methodologies and I am interested in the use of creative and visual methods in socio-legal research.
I am Professor of International Law at the University of Glasgow and currently hold an AHRC Fellowship (2024-2026) ‘Disarming International Law’.
I enjoy supporting early career researchers to develop their skills as writers through intensive workshops and retreats, and collaborating with legal change activists.
My research interests encompass the method and practices of international law, particularly the ways in which international law is contested and made by often marginalised peoples and under-acknowledged actors in global politics. My research focuses particularly on militarism and on sociotechnical infrastructures including canals, satellites and nuclear weapons. I have an interdisciplinary scholarly background in history, international relations and law and practised across a broad range of legal areas (called 2009, England & Wales).
I am a Lecturer in Law at Glasgow Caledonian University and Vice-Chair of JUSTICE Scotland.
Prior to joining academia, I was a practising lawyer. I worked at the International Criminal Court before returning to Scotland to qualify as a solicitor, where I worked at a large commercial law firm and, latterly, at a law centre, specialising in the rights of refugee and migrant communities. In 2020 I was named as one of Young Women Scotland’s 30 under 30.
I am passionate about uncovering the achievements of pioneering women in law, while also working to ensure a more equal and diverse legal profession today.
My research focuses on law and gender. I am currently undertaking doctoral research focused on sexual offence lawyering in Scotland.
I am a Lecturer in Equality Law at the University of Glasgow. I am also a member of the Law Society of Scotland’s Employment Law and Equality Law sub-committees. As a former practising solicitor, I am particularly interested in exploring law in action and in research which advocates for legal change for a more just and equal society.
My research interests lie broadly in the areas of equality and employment law. I am particularly interested in the areas of religion and gender equality, and in the preferred regulatory methods for achieving transformative change. I have experience in empirical and comparative methodologies and enjoy working collaboratively on research projects.
We are grateful to the following collaborators, past and present who have contributed to our project in a variety of ways – through funding, research and creative collaboration, event support and more.
Knowledge Exchange Consultant
Marie-Claire Boyle graduated from Glasgow University School of Law degree in Law with French Legal Studies. She has over a decade of experience working with NGOs and academic institutions to tell their stories, improve digital presence, impact measurement and messaging.
Founder, Diversity Plus
I have over 20 years of experience in the Scottish legal sector. I commenced my career as a Procurator Fiscal Depute (public prosecutor) and later moved to the private sector where I specialised in child and family law and became a partner of a large Scottish law firm.
I am an avid campaigner for change and am particularly interested in helping making improvements in the legal industry ensuring it is fit to face future challenges. My specialism lies in diversity, equity and inclusion and the additional barriers intersectionality can create. For that reason, improving gender and minority ethnic representation at all levels of the profession are my main objectives. With that aim in mind, I created Diversity+, a bespoke consultancy firm designed to assist organisations, specifically within the legal sector, make improvements in their diversity and inclusion footprint, both internally and externally, thereby better meeting the needs of those they seek to service.
I’m delighted to be involved in and support the Women in Law Project. I admire and share its vision; that women from all backgrounds have equal representation across every level of the legal sector, in Scotland and globally.
I’m also a co-founder of The Scottish Ethnic Minorities Lawyers Association.
Archivist, National Records of Scotland
Alison Lindsay has worked as an archivist in the National Records of Scotland for 30 years, most recently as Head of the Legal and Historical Search Rooms where every day she helps people seeking access to the 80km of records which NRS holds. Her research interests include children’s literature, genealogy and knitting and she has greatly enjoyed being involved in the Women in law project.
Researcher
Pat Lucie
Researcher
Rebecca is a historian, editor and researcher, with expertise in Scottish gender, legal and social history and feminist legal studies. Her research interests include women’s rights, gender inequality and access to justice, and she has published widely on women’s legal status and property relationships in early modern Scotland. She currently works in the Scottish Parliament as a researcher, advising on issues relating to women’s rights, gender-based violence, “inclusive” justice, and gender law reform.
Primary Teacher
Amanda is a primary school teacher based in Glasgow with an interest in equal opportunities for all, equity and inclusion. She has been working with the Women in Law project to create educational resources that can be used in primary schools to engage children in what it means to be a lawyer, the history of women in law, and what equality and equity looks like in the present day.
Screenwriter
Lynsey is a Scottish based screenwriter. This year, she was commissioned by the multi-award winning production company, Mercury Studios, to write a film for a top British pop act’s concept album. Currently, she’s in development with Pirate Productions with her original TV drama, GAELS, co-written with Caitlin McCarthy (Academy Nicholl Top 10 female writer) – its development is being supported by Creative Scotland. In 2020/21, Lynsey was selected for the BBC Scottish Voices program which saw her TV project MADGE go into development with Blazing Griffin Productions and BBC Scotland. Her feature project, THE COMPUTER, was selected for the EIFF Talent Lab Connects programme in 2022. Lynsey has begun research at the Center for Astrophysics at Harvard and Smithsonian college in the US.
Her TV sci-fi project, DARCY GLEN, was longlisted for the SUNDANCE Episodic Lab 2020 and in 2019, she was selected for the Edinburgh International Film Festival Talent Lab. Find out more about her projects at www.lynseymurdoch.com
We are grateful to the following collaborators, past and present who have contributed to our project in a variety of ways – through funding, research collaboration, event support and more.
