'Helena Florence Normanton' (
December 14,
1882 -
October 14,
1957) was the first woman to practise as a
barrister in the
UK. In 1922 she was
called to the Bar of England and Wales at the
Middle Temple, following the example set by
Ivy Williams earlier that year.
She went on to become the first woman to lead the
prosecution in a
murder trial, to conduct a trial in America and to represent cases at the High Court and the
Old Bailey.
In 1949, along with
Rose Heilbron, she became one of the first women
King's Counsel at the English Bar.
Normanton was also the first married woman in the UK to have a
passport in her maiden name, believing that men and women should keep their money and property separately and she campaigned to this end.
References
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Summary biography (AIM25 website)