'100 Years of Women at The Bar' - Looking Towards a Future in Law

The Abbey School, Reading hosted public viewings of the landmark exhibition ‘100 Years of Women at the Bar’ during March, and staged a showcase evening for young people in the town to promote and celebrate a career in the legal profession. 

“As a female student who wants to choose law as a career, it was inspiring to see and learn from the women who had fought hard to earn their right and importance within this profession”

Over 400 students from 6 schools attended for a private view of the exhibition and to hear from keynote speakers Court of Appeal Judge Lady Justice Geraldine Andrews DBE, Founder of the First Hundred Years Project Dana Denis-Smith and Barrister Samantha Woodham. Each speaker shared their personal story of challenge, opportunity and achievement to inspire the student audience.  

Students presented three theatrical performances inspired by the true stories of legal pioneers featured in the 100 Years exhibition - Helena Normanton, Dame Linda Dobbs and Tribunal Judge Thaira Bibi. The original plays were written and performed by The Abbey School, The Holt School and the John Madejski Academy as part of the ARCH collaboration which brings together young people from across Reading through innovative learning experiences. 

Meanwhile, Barrister Samantha Woodham, an alumna of The Abbey, was presented with a purple plaque award for her innovation to improve the experience of divorcing couples through a ‘one couple, one lawyer’ approach. The aim of this Innovate UK award is to ensure the achievements of pioneering women are recognised and to inspire future generations of innovators. Just 14% of blue plaques celebrate the achievements of women!  

The evening concluded with networking and breakout rooms enabling students to to talk directly to several members of the judiciary, legal and justice professions.

“This event helped me to see just how many areas of law there are and to understand the differences”

“I 100% know that I want to be a lawyer and this evening not only inspired me but also acted as a motivation for me to start researching more about this career”