20 Influential Female Lawyers Every Law Student Should Know

As with many professions, law began life as the sole domain of men — and even then, only whites in regions overrun with imperialists and imperialism. But pioneers of different backgrounds have put themselves out there to challenge this professional hegemony, proving that they have plenty to offer the legal world. The following ladies, by no means the only ones out there, completely shattered the arbitrary masculine mold. Whether slashing away at gender and racial boundaries or applying their education to politics or nonprofits, all of these women shaped the world in some major way. Anyone studying the history of law would do well to know these names and what they’ve done, regardless of whether or not they completely agree with views expressed.

1. Charlotte E. Ray: While attending (and eventually teaching) classes at Howard University, Charlotte E. Ray cleverly subverted the Law Department’s misogynistic standards by applying to the law school with only her initials. She graduated in February of 1872 and earned acceptance to the District of Columbia Bar two months later, making her the very first African-American woman to work as attorney in the United States. Commercial law was her specialty, but dwindling business eventually drove this pioneer back to the education sector.

2. Bettisia Gozzadini: Historians know very little about this impressive Italian aristocrat, save for the fact that she may have been the first female to both work as a lawyer and teach at the college level. Bettisia Gozzadini paved the way around 1250, disguising herself as a man when both learning and educating before being outed. One legend states that she had to teach behind a screen in order to avoid student suspicion or distraction.

3. Hillary Rodham Clinton: Although controversial — as are most prominent American politicians and women — even impassioned detractors can still admit the current Secretary of State holds considerable influence. Even before entering into the political sphere, Yale graduate Hillary Rodham Clinton left an impact as the cofounder of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, the first female partner at Rose Law Firm and the first woman to serve as the chair of Legal Services Corporation. Even before landing a sweet gig as a New York Senator (and, of course, Secretary of State), she worked diligently for healthcare and adoption reform, women’s rights issues and plenty more.

4. Rebecca Kadaga: On May 19, 2011, Rebecca Kadaga made history as the very first woman ever elected Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament. She serves as the representative from her native Kamuli District, Women’s Constituency, and chairs the Appointments Committee, Parliamentary Commission and Business Committee. Prior to landing the landmark Speaker assignment, Kadaga held her own private practice, a Chairwoman at Mbarara University, Secretary General of the East African Women Parliamentarians Association, Minister of State and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs along with, obviously, her delegate duties.

5. Ichinnorov Manjaa: Ichinnorov Manjaa applies her enviable legal prowess in the interest of human rights issues, particularly those impacting Mongolians. Her most notable achievements completely changed the nation’s legal system, particularly in areas of criminal justice, prison reform and women’s rights. For these amazing actions promoting social justice both domestically and abroad, she rightfully earned such prestigious honors as the Mahatma Gandhi Award, Eisenhower Fellowship Leader Award and Mongolian Professional Fellowship Award.

6. Sonia Sotomayor: The third woman to ever serve on the United States Supreme Court also broke ground as the very first of Latin American descent, no matter the gender, on the council. Sonia Sotomayor showed promise early as editor of the Yale Law Review while working on her JD, landing an assistant district attorney position in New York County right after graduation. And from there, her legal career expanded to include stints with private practice, the New York City Campaign Finance Board, Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, State of New York Mortgage Agency, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit — all this in addition to activism work and teaching positions at NYU and Columbia!

7. Nancy Duff Campbell: For over four decades, Nancy Duff Campbell has fought passionately for women’s rights, particularly those involving the legal issues of low-income individuals, children and single mothers. As the co-president and founder of the National Women’s Law Center, she brings legal aid, advice and comfort to a wider audience than a private practice would — not to mention leaving behind a legacy of social justice. Unsurprisingly, this spitfire has received a plethora of awards and honors for her work, most notably a Lifetime Achievement Award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services after successfully campaigning for better child support enforcement.

8. Arabella Mansfield: Although the Iowa State Bar only accepted white men over the age of 21, Arabella Mansfield fought for her right to become the first female lawyer in the United States in 1869. Interestingly enough, though, despite breaking such prestigious ground, she never actually practiced law! Instead, most of her time was dedicated to education and promoting women’s rights — specifically suffrage.

9. Debra Lee: Today, the indomitable Debra Lee is known more as a wildly successful businesswoman, most notably as the CEO of BET responsible for turning it from almost bankrupt to a multimedia juggernaut. Her experience as a law clerk in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and 5 years with Steptoe & Johnson working in a corporate lawyer position greatly contributed to the company’s eventual success — even before the CEO promotion, when she held the Vice President of Legal Affairs slot. Beyond her celebrated victories at BET, Lee’s business acumen has also served her well on the board of directors at Revlon, Eastman Kodak and Marriott.

10. Gloria Allred: As the quintessential feminist lawyer, Gloria Allred is understandably an incredibly controversial figure — a status she takes pride in, and oftentimes dictates the high-profile cases she accepts. Committed to ending discrimination along gender, racial, age and other oft-marginalized lines, she first landed on the equal rights radar when she sued the Beverly Hills Friars Club for excluding women. But her most high-profile case remains the O.J. Simpson murder trial, when she represented the family of victim Nicole Brown Simpson.

11. Elizabeth Warren: When it comes to consumer, contract, commercial and bankruptcy law, Elizabeth Warren is one of the foremost experts in the United States — a status duly recognized in her litany of political positions. Not only is she the Leo Gottlieb Professor of Law at Harvard, she also serves as both Assistant to the President and Special Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Her influence stretches beyond inspiring necessary consumer protection legislation, and Warren currently chairs the Congressional Oversight Panel analyzing policies relating to the current financial crisis.

12. Ellen ‘t Hoen: This world-changing expert in all things pharmaceutical and medical law — as well as intellectual property — once directed the policy and advocacy wings of Nobel Prize-winning NGO Medicins sans Frontieres. Ellen ‘t Hoen’s laudable career brought low-cost healthcare to impoverished communities worldwide, and she also spent time with Health Action International and co-founded DES Action The Netherlands, which protests the dangerous drug diethylstilbestrol. Today, the activist and advocate holds the executive director position at UNITAID’s Medicines Patent Pool.

13. Tzipi Livni: A major figure in Mediterranean politics, Tzipi Livni leads the Knesset’s centrist-liberal Kadima party and the Israeli Opposition — the first woman to ever earn such a title. Once an elite Mossad agent, she eventually quit in order to concentrate on her legal studies at Bar-Ilan University. Livni’s previous political positions include heading up government-owned corporations authority, Minister of Regional Co-Operation under Ariel Sharon, Minister of Housing and Construction, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Minister of Immigrant Absorption and more.

14. Fatoumata Dembele Diarra: Since 2003, this amazingly accomplished lawyer and judge has served on the International Criminal Court in The Hague, and currently holds the First Vice President position. In Fatoumata Dembele Diarra’s native Mali, she moved up through the legal profession as an examining magistrate, president of Assize Court, president of the Barnako Appeals Court’s Criminal Chamber and national director of the Justice Department of Mali. Experience in global courts first came about when she was named one of the judges presiding over the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.

15. Ambiga Sreenevasan: Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan holds the distinction of being the second woman to ever preside over the Malaysian Bar, which she did between 2007 and 2009. But her legal work — for which she deservedly won an International Women of Courage Award — more notably encompasses some stellar accomplishments furthering human rights. Specifically, Sreenevasan has made an international name for herself bravely standing up for gender and religious discrimination in the Malaysian Parliament — and far beyond — though she also works tirelessly towards judicial reform.

16. Sandra Day O’Connor: 1981 proved a landmark year for women in law, when then-president Ronald Reagan appointed Sandra Day O’Connor as the very first female Supreme Court Justice. When Californian private practices discriminated against her attempts to practice as an attorney, her desire to work in law led her to apply for government positions. Starting out as a Deputy County Attorney in San Mateo, O’Connor would go on to serve as a lawyer and judge in Arizona (after a brief private stint in Germany), eventually serving in all three governmental branches before going federal.

17. Judith Sandalow: Although Judith Sandalow did not found the Children’s Law Center, her stint as Executive Director — a position she still holds today after starting in 2000 — saw it expand from 3 staffers to 75, along with the addition of 300 lawyers from 70 firms working completely pro bono. As one can probably glean from its nomenclature, the CLC assists over a thousand at-risk, D.C.-area youth yearly, standing up for the rights and well-being of them and their families alike. One of the more notable offerings defends juveniles in court, negotiating ways to help them rehabilitate and live a more productive existence rather than popping in and out of courtrooms.

18. Melanie Sloan: Fans of political talking heads programs, not to mention plenty of high-profile periodicals, might recognize frequent guest Melanie Sloan. Currently counseling Valerie Plame Wilson as she fights the CIA for disclosing her then-classified identity, the attorney also heads the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington as Executive Director. This nonprofit acts as a watchdog group for the American peoples, ensuring fairness and honesty amongst a political demographic notorious for displaying neither quality.

19. Margaret Thatcher: Loathe her or love her, one cannot deny that the first (and so far, only) female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom did hold considerable sway beyond the Commonwealth — especially considering her ideological overlaps with American President Ronald Reagan. But before her rise to Cold War political power, she originally pursued chemistry studies at Oxford, for which she earned a bachelor’s degree. Involvement as president of the Oxford University Conservative Association eventually pushed young Thatcher to completely reconsider her life’s work, and she eventually qualified as a barrister in 1954.

20. Belva Ann Lockwood: Law students pouring over legal history will no doubt come across bold suffragette Belva Ann Lockwood in their research. Though not the first female attorney in the United States, she’s notable for launching her career by petitioning then-president Ulysses S. Grant and the Supreme Court after completing the necessary requirements at National University Law School and subsequently being denied a degree. After passing the bar, Lockwood did go on to enjoy a modest private practice, severely limited thanks to prevailing misogyny; today, she is appropriately lauded as a pioneer in the women’s movement for her courage and perseverance.