Volume 1 issue 2 October 2013
Human Rights, Equality and the Judiciary: An Interview with Baroness Hale of Richmond Edward Chin and Fraser Alcorn
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An
outspoken advocate for gender equality, Baroness Hale became the first female
Law Lord in 2004. She assumed duties as a Supreme Court justice in 2009, and
was appointed as the court’s first female deputy president in June 2013. Lady
Hale has a background in academia where she taught for 18 years; she has also
worked at the Law Commission, having spearheaded the Children Act 1989.
Lady Hale’s continued dedication and contribution to human rights jurisprudence and gender equality have greatly shaped the English judicial system. Her efforts on behalf of justice and humanity are some examples of her outstanding achievements. In this interview, Lady Hale speaks about the Human Rights Act 1998, the ECHR, as well as her career and how she benefited from both opportunity and hard work. We conclude our interview with advice that Lady Hale offers to all law students on overcoming barriers and making the best of openings that come along. She expresses the hope that students, and especially Birkbeck students, will think: ‘If she can do it, I can do it too.’ |