
High Courts to commemorate 100 years of women in legal practice.
This week, the High Courts in Pretoria and Johannesburg will convene formal sessions to mark the 100th anniversary of the Women Legal Practice Act of 1923.
South Africa passed the Women Legal Practitioners Act 7 of 1923 on the 26th of March 1923.
In section 1, the statute proclaimed that ‘women shall be entitled to be admitted to practise and to be enrolled as advocates, attorneys, notaries, public or conveyancers … subject to the same terms and conditions as apply to men.’
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The 100 more Campaign and the South African Chapter of the International Association of Women Judges are co-hosting the event on Tuesday.
“It did not take long for women to take active steps to become legal practitioners. The first woman to be admitted as an advocate in South Africa was Irene Geffin in 1923. The first woman attorney was Constance Mary Hall, in 1926. “
“For historic apartheid reasons, it took longer for Black women to join the ranks, with Desiree Finca being enrolled as the first Black woman attorney in 1967,” the Office of the Chief Justice said.
The commemoration will honor these trailblazing women, to reflect on the journey of women in the legal profession, and to reaffirm our collective commitment to advancing the constitutional rights to equality and human dignity, ceremonial sittings will bring together women from legal practice, legal institutions, and the judiciary.
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