Baroness Hale of Richmond, the first female president of the UK Supreme Court, and Appeal Court Judge Lady Justice Whipple have been confirmed as the speakers for Women in the Law UK’s annual International Women’s Day dinner next month.
Lady Hale will discuss her new book, With Law on Our Side, which was published by Penguin last September.
Lady Justice Whipple DBE was appointed to the Court of Appeal in 2021. She will reflect on her role as Lead Judge for Diversity and Inclusion, Leadership Development, and Wellbeing for the Judiciary of England and Wales.
The dinner will take place at the Radisson Edwardian Manchester Hotel on 19 March. Tickets are available from Eventbrite.
The dinner will be preceded earlier in the day by Women in the Law UK’s fifth annual International Women’s Day conference, which will take place at the Manchester offices of law firm Irwin Mitchell from 10.00am to 4.00pm.
The events are being held in celebration of International Women’s Day, which this year takes place on 8 March and takes the theme “Give to Gain.”
Confirmed speakers at the conference include Ros Beever, partner and national head of the Divorce & Family Law team at Irwin Mitchell, and Susanna McGibbon KC (Hon), Treasury Solicitor and Permanent Secretary of the Government Legal Department. A number of senior public figures are also expected to attend.
As well as hearing from leading figures in the law and politics, the conference will debate the fallout for the sector, and impact on paralegals and women’s careers in the law, of the Mazur judgment, which restricted the roles that non-solicitors can play in litigation and other reserved activities. Representatives of the legal services regulator, the SRA, will be in attendance.
Women in the Law UK is a professional development organisation which exists to promote gender equality in the legal sector. It was founded in Manchester by the award-winning barrister Dr Sally Penni MBE and operates throughout the country.
The organisation has more than 60,000 followers on LinkedIn and the “Talking Law” podcast hosted by its founder, Dr Penni, is in the top two per cent of podcasts globally by number of downloads.
Dr Penni said, “This year’s conference and dinner promise once again to be must-attend events in the legal calendar. This year’s conference will be particularly important, providing a forum for us to digest the fallout from, and formulate our response to, the Mazur judgment.
“I would like to thank Irwin Mitchell for generously hosting our conference once again. I would also like to extend my huge thanks to Lady Hale, Lady Justice Whipple, Susanna McGibbon and all the other speakers whose experience and insights will help to make these events so vital in setting our profession’s agenda.”
The International Women’s Day events follow closely on the heels of Women in the Law UK’s Wales conference, held at the Cardiff office of Hugh James Solicitors on 21 January, and its London conference, which took place at the offices of Leigh Day on 5 February.
The organisation holds a programme of in-person and online events throughout the year, including its ever-popular monthly book club.
Dr Penni also continues to deliver the Penni Lecture series of substantive online lectures providing CPD content.
Women in the Law UK’s events are held under the Chatham House Rule, enabling speakers and audience members to speak freely and learn from each-others’ experiences in a confidential environment. Previous events have covered subjects including career progression, why lawyers need to sit on boards and what lawyers can learn from inspiring businesswomen.
