The history of the legal profession in the United States has been shaped by individuals who challenged expectations and expanded opportunities for others. This is especially true for women lawyers in the Unites States. While many are familiar with trailblazers like Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, their achievements were built on the work of those who came before them. For Women’s History month, we highlight six women who helped change the course of legal history in the United States.
Arabella Mansfield
In 1869, Arabella Mansfield became the first woman admitted to the Iowa bar and is widely recognized as first female lawyer in the United States. She spent much of her career in higher education and advocacy and was actively involved in the women’s suffrage movement. Her admission to the bar helped open the door for women, and other underrepresented groups, to enter the legal profession. Iowa was notably the first state to formally allow women to obtain law licenses, setting an early example for the rest of the country.
Charlotte E. Ray
Only a few years later, Charlotte E. Ray became the first African-American woman lawyer in the United States. She studied law at Howard University and was admitted to the District of Columbia bar in 1872. Ray went on to become the first woman to argue a case before the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia.
At a time when opportunities for Black women were extremely limited, Ray established her own law practice and, in a groundbreaking case, successfully helped an abused wife win a divorce case. Although the prejudices of the era made it difficult to sustain her practice long-term, her achievements helped pave the way for future generations to enter and succeed in the legal profession.
Florence King
In 1897, Florence King became a pioneer in patent law. She became the first woman registered to practice before the United States Patent Office, entering a highly technical and male-dominated field.
King went on to build a career at the intersection of law, engineering, and design. In 1923, she argued and won a patent case before the U.S. Supreme Court (Crown Die & Tool Co. v. Nye Tool & Machine Works), demonstrating that women could succeed in the most specialized areas of the legal profession.
Mary Florence Lathrop and Mary Belle Grossman
In 1918, Mary Florence Lathrop and Mary Belle Grossman became the first two women admitted to the American Bar Association. Lathrop practiced law in Colorado, where she was the first woman to open a law practice in Denver, and her legacy is honored through the Colorado Women’s Bar Association’s Mary Lathrop Award.
Grossman began her legal career working in her cousin’s law office before becoming an attorney and later making history as Cleveland’s first female municipal judge in 1923. Throughout their careers, both women established successful legal practices and helped expand opportunities for women in the profession.
Arnette Hubbard
Arnette Hubbard broke new ground in 1981 when she became the first woman president of the National Bar Association—the oldest and largest organization of Black attorneys and judges in the United States. Her leadership marked a major milestone for women in the legal profession and in national bar leadership.
Hubbard began her academic career studying mathematics and chemistry before turning to law, where she built a distinguished career in both legal and public service. She served on the Chicago Board of Elections and later became a circuit court judge in Cook County, Illinois. Through her leadership and service, Hubbard helped expand opportunities and representation within the legal profession.
Making History, Making Change
These women are just a few of the many who have shaped the legal profession through determination, innovation, and leadership. Today, their impact is clear. Women now make up more than 40% of attorneys in the United States, totaling over half a million lawyers, and that number continues to grow. Furthermore, women now account for over 56% of law school students, outnumbering men for nearly a decade.
The legal profession has changed dramatically, and it continues to evolve. The progress we see today is the result of pioneering women like those above, and countless others, who helped open doors that once seemed permanently closed.
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