First ladies of law

SIR – We read with delight the piece on the majority of Supreme Court judges being women for the first time in 600 years (report, September 19).

There was, however, one omission from the list of “First ladies of law”: Helena Normanton KC. Normanton was the first woman to join an Inn of Court – Middle Temple, on Christmas Eve 1919 – the second woman to be called to the Bar of England and Wales, and the first woman to enjoy a career at the Bar of England and Wales. She was a pioneer and a rule changer and went on to have a remarkable career opening doors that many thought were firmly closed.

She was also the first British woman to have a passport issued in her maiden name and to retain her maiden name for professional reasons. A century on, my chambers will become “Normanton Chambers” in January: the first set, we believe, to be named after a woman in the history of the Bar. We hope that we can continue with her quest for a diverse, egalitarian and culturally rich Bar. Andrea Barnes

London WC2