Keith Mack
Women have had to overcome numerous legal barriers to pursue a career in law. In the United States, Lemma Barkaloo became the first woman admitted to law school in 1869, and Ada Kepley became the first woman to graduate from law school in 1870. Since then, women have continued to break down barriers in the legal profession, with notable milestones including the establishment of the first female-only law school in 1908, women outnumbering men in US law schools in 2016, and women exceeding men in the profession for the first time in the United States in 2023.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Ada Kepley |
| Year | 1870 |
| Law School | Chicago University Law School |
| Law School's Later Names | Union College of Law, Northwestern University School of Law |
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What You'll Learn
Ada Kepley, the first woman to graduate from law school in the US
Ada Kepley was the first woman to graduate from law school in the United States, earning her Bachelor of Laws in 1870. She graduated from Chicago University Law School, which later became known as the Northwestern University School of Law.
Kepley was born in Effingham, Illinois. At the age of 20, she married attorney Henry Kepley. Henry trained her to be his legal assistant, and this inspired her to pursue a legal education. Despite graduating, Kepley was unable to join the Illinois state bar due to her gender. In response, her husband drafted a bill banning sex discrimination in professional occupations, which became state law in 1872. However, Kepley, who was more interested in social reform than legal practice, did not apply for admission to the bar until 1881.
Kepley's legacy lies not in the practice of law but in her passion for temperance and women's suffrage. She established the Band of Hope, a youth-oriented temperance group focused on educating young people in Effingham about the dangers of alcohol addiction. She also published a list of men who frequented saloons in her monthly temperance paper, The Friend of Home. Her activism faced opposition, and she endured physical violence for her efforts to oppose the sale of alcohol. In 1881, she ran for Illinois State Attorney General as the Prohibition Party candidate.
Kepley was also associated with prominent figures in the women's movement, such as Frances Willard of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and Susan B. Anthony, co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Association. These associations brought her national recognition. Later in life, she wrote an autobiography, entitled A Farm Philosopher, A Love Story, which was published in 1912.
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Charlotte E. Ray, the first African-American female lawyer in the US
Charlotte E. Ray, born on January 13, 1850, was the first African-American female lawyer in the United States. She came from a progressive family with a strong focus on education. Her father, Reverend Charles Bennett Ray, was a prominent abolitionist and clergyman who edited The Colored American, one of the first newspapers published by and for African-Americans. Recognising the value of education, he ensured that his daughters received a good education. Charlotte attended the Institution for the Education of Colored Youth (now the University of the District of Columbia), graduating in 1869. This institution was one of the few places where Black women could receive a quality education at the time.
Charlotte went on to teach at Howard University in the Normal and Preparatory Department, which was the University's prep school. While teaching, she enrolled in the Law Department, registering as C. E. Ray. Some sources suggest that she used her initials to disguise her gender, as she feared her admission would be revoked. However, others dispute this, noting that Howard University had a clear policy of accepting both Black men and women. Charlotte was admitted to the District of Columbia Bar on March 2, 1872, and began her independent practice of commercial law that same year. She was one of the first women of any race to practice law in the District.
Despite her legal expertise, Charlotte struggled to find clients due to prejudice. She was described as "one of the best lawyers on corporations in the country," yet she could not sustain her practice. She returned to teaching, working in the Brooklyn school system. Charlotte's brief legal career was a courageous and groundbreaking step forward for women, and particularly women of colour, in the legal profession.
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Cornelia Sorabji, the first woman to practice law in India
Ada Kepley became the first woman to graduate from law school in the United States in 1870. However, Cornelia Sorabji, the first woman to practice law in India, blazed a trail of her own.
Cornelia Sorabji was born on November 15, 1866, in Nashik, in the Bombay Presidency of British India. Her father, Reverend Sorabji Karsedji, was a Christian missionary who had converted from Zoroastrianism. Her mother, Francina Ford, had been adopted and raised by a British couple and helped establish several girls' schools in Pune. Sorabji received her early education at home and in mission schools before enrolling as the first female student at Deccan College. She excelled in her studies and earned top marks in her final degree examination, which would have entitled her to a government scholarship for further study in England. However, she claimed that she was denied the scholarship.
Sorabji's educational journey continued at Bombay University, where she became the first female graduate, obtaining a first-class degree in literature in 1888. With the support of British backers, she then travelled to Oxford University, becoming the first woman to study law there. In 1892, she became the first woman to pass the BCL examinations at Oxford, although she did not receive her degree until after World War I when the university began awarding degrees to women.
Sorabji returned to India in 1893 and was permitted to plead in some local courts. In 1896, she made history again as the first woman in the British Empire to plead before a British judge, successfully defending a murder charge. This accomplishment was noted in both British and international press. Sorabji's legal work focused on advocating for individual women and children, particularly those subject to segregation (Purdahnashins) and in need of legal rights. She campaigned for education for girls, the abolition of child marriage, and protection and support for widows. Sorabji also authored influential publications and contributed to various periodicals, including The Times Literary Supplement and The Statesman.
In 1901, Sorabji returned to Britain to lobby for a unique appointment as 'Lady Assistant to the Court of Wards,' which she obtained in 1904 for several regions in northern India. In this role, she provided legal assistance to Purdahnashin women regarding their estates, navigating Hindu and Muslim property law. After the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act of 1919, Sorabji was admitted as a vakil in India, and in 1923, she was called to the Bar in Britain, becoming the second Indian woman to achieve this feat. Despite facing challenges and isolation as a woman barrister in 1920s India, Sorabji persevered and practised law in Kolkata (Calcutta).
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Women graduates from Saudi Arabian law schools
Ada Kepley became the first woman to graduate from law school in the United States in 1870. She graduated from Chicago University Law School, which later became known as the Northwestern University School of Law.
Women's education in Saudi Arabia has been historically controlled by the Department of Religious Guidance, which ensured that women were educated in accordance with Islamic principles as interpreted in the country. This often translated to women being educated for 'gender-appropriate' roles such as motherhood, housewifery, teaching, or nursing. The first girls' public school was established in 1956, and by 1961, there were 12 elementary schools for girls in the country.
Saudi women have been attending university since the 1970s, but their educational opportunities have significantly expanded over the last 15 years. In 2010, the country established its first women's college, the Princess Noura bint Abdulrahman University, which has a capacity of 60,000 undergraduate students. In 2015, women's undergraduate enrollment rates surpassed those of men, with women comprising 52% of all university students in the kingdom.
In 2019, around 50 Saudi women were chosen to enroll in a one-year diploma in criminal law. This was a significant step forward, as female law graduates in the country had previously been forbidden from appearing in court. In 2021, women's college graduation rates exceeded those of men, and in 2023, Saudi Arabia's women's college graduation rates were among the highest globally.
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Women in US law schools
In 1869, Lemma Barkaloo became the first woman admitted to an American law school, beginning her studies at Washington University in St. Louis. However, it was not until the following year, in 1870, that Ada Kepley became the first woman to graduate from law school in the United States. Kepley graduated from Chicago University Law School, which later became known as the Northwestern University School of Law.
Since these pioneering first steps, women have continued to break new ground in the legal profession in the United States. In 1872, Charlotte E. Ray became the first African-American female lawyer in the country, and in 1879, Belva Lockwood became the first woman to argue a case before the United States Supreme Court.
It was not until 1899 that the National Association of Women Lawyers, originally called the Women Lawyers' Club, was founded by a group of 18 women lawyers in New York City. This was a significant step forward in recognising the growing number of women in the legal profession and providing a platform for their voices to be heard.
Over time, the representation of women in law schools and the legal profession in the United States has continued to grow. In 1922, Florence E. Allen became the first woman elected to a state supreme court, specifically the Ohio Supreme Court. In 1970, Doris Brin Walker made history by becoming the first female president of the National Lawyers Guild, and in 1971, it became illegal to bar women from practising law in the United States.
Today, women continue to make significant strides in the legal profession. In 2008, Roberta Cooper Ramo became the first female president of the American Law Institute, and in 2023, women exceeded men in the profession for the first time, comprising 50.3% of U.S. law firm associates. Additionally, over half of the JD students enrolled at ABA-accredited schools are women, demonstrating the increasing presence and influence of women in the legal field.
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Frequently asked questions
Ada Kepley became the first woman to graduate from law school in the United States in 1870. She graduated from Chicago University Law School, which later became known as the Northwestern University School of Law.
Women began to outnumber men in U.S. law schools in 2016.
Roberta Cooper Ramo became the first female president of the American Law Institute in 2008.
Stanleyetta Titus, a graduate of NYU Law School, became the first woman admitted to the New York State Bar in 1893.
