Over 350 women KCs and judges, representing a diverse range of practice areas and circuits, joined in celebrations at the Royal Courts of Justice to mark 75 years since women first ‘took silk’ and became King’s Counsel (KC) – an award for excellence in advocacy in the higher courts. The event, hosted in the Great Hall, was attended by most senior and most junior KCs.
Our female KCs, Adrienne Page (joint Head of Chambers), who recently celebrated 50 years at the Bar and 25 as Silk, and Christina Michalos KC, attended the event.
In 1949, barristers Helena Normanton and Rose Heilbron were the first women in England and Wales to take silk and become KCs under King George VI. Dame Rose Heilbron’s daughter Hilary Heilbron KC (1987) attended the celebration at the RCJ.
She said: “𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑗𝑜𝑖𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡’𝑠 𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑦 𝑚𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟, 𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 34, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐻𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑎 𝑁𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 75 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑔𝑜 𝑏𝑦 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑙𝑘.”
5RB is proud of its record in giving opportunities to women to practise at the media Bar and of its current 15 women members, who range from the most senior members of chambers, including both Heads of Chambers, to the most junior, Katya Pereira, who we were delighted to welcome as one of two new tenants of 5RB on 1 October 2024.