Otago Women Lawyers' Society
Ethel Rebecca BenjaminBorn on 19 January 1875, graduated LLB from the University of Otago and admitted to the Bar in 1897.Ethel began her law degree at a time when only men were allowed to practise law and she was the first woman admitted to the Bar in the southern hemisphere. Ethel's legal practice in Dunedin included family law, such as adoption work and she was also one of the Honorary Solicitors for the Society for the Protection of Women and Children. Ethel also represented hoteliers against prohibitionists, an area of work that led to her becoming involved in the management of some hotels, including Wains Hotel on Princes Street, Dunedin. In 1907 Ethel moved to Wellington and married Alfred de Costa. She continued to practice law in Wellington until the couple travelled to the United Kingdom in 1910. Ethel did not practice law in England (which only became possible for women in 1919). She was involved instead in merchant banking. Ethel split her time between England and Italy during, between and after the World Wars. She died in England in 1944, as a result of an accident. Ethel's story is told by Janet November in a 2009 publication: In the footsteps of Ethel Benjamin The New Zealand Law Foundation Ethel Benjamin Commemorative AddressesSince 1997, OWLS has presented the annual Ethel Benjamin address, in honour of the first woman to be admitted to practice in New Zealand, here in Dunedin on 7th May, 1897.The primary objectives of the Commemorative Address are to honour and preserve the pioneering spirit possessed by Ethel Benjamin, to encourage education and achievement in the women of today, and to stimulate debate about issues affecting social justice and gender.
The address is sponsored by: the New Zealand Law Foundation the Faculty of Law, University of Otago and the Otago branch of the New Zealand Law Society. Otago Women Lawyers' Society, PO Box 5632, Dunedin, 9058 |
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