Rebels at the Bar : The Fascinating, Forgotten Stories of America's First Women Lawyers / Jill Norgren.
2013
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Title
Rebels at the Bar : The Fascinating, Forgotten Stories of America's First Women Lawyers / Jill Norgren.
Author
Norgren, Jill, author.
ISBN
9780814758632
Published
New York, NY : : New York University Press, [2013]
Copyright
©2013
Language
English
Language Note
In English.
Description
1 online resource : 17 black and white illustrations
Other Standard Identifiers
10.18574/nyu/9780814758625.001.0001 doi
Dewey Decimal Classification
340.092520973
Summary
An engaging history of women's rights and the legal profession in the nineteenth centuryLong before Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsberg earned their positions on the Supreme Court, they were preceded in their goal of legal excellence by several intrepid trailblazers. In Rebels at the Bar, prize-winning legal historian Jill Norgren recounts the life stories of a small group of nineteenth century women who were among the first female attorneys in the United States. Beginning in the late 1860s, these determined rebels pursued the radical ambition of entering the then all-male profession of law. They were motivated by a love of learning. They believed in fair play and equal opportunity. They desired recognition as professionals and the ability to earn a good living. Through a biographical approach, Norgren presents the common struggles of eight women first to train and to qualify as attorneys, then to practice their hard-won professional privilege. Their story is one of nerve, frustration, and courage. This first generation practiced civil and criminal law, solo and in partnership. The women wrote extensively and lobbied on the major issues of the day, but the professional opportunities open to them had limits. They never had the opportunity to wear the black robes of a judge. They were refused entry into the lucrative practices of corporate and railroad law. Although male lawyers filled legislatures and the Foreign Service, presidents refused to appoint these early women lawyers to diplomatic offices and the public refused to elect them to legislatures. Rebels at the Bar expands our understanding of both women's rights and the history of the legal profession in the nineteenth century. It focuses on the female renegades who trained in law and then, like men, fought considerable odds to create successful professional lives. In this engaging and beautifully written book, Norgren shares her subjects' faith in the art of the possible. In so doing, she ensures their place in history.
Access Note
Access limited to authorized users.
System Details Note
Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
Digital File Characteristics
text file PDF
Source of Description
Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 18. Sep 2023)
Available in Other Form
print 9780814758625
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Table of Contents
Frontmatter
Contents
Preface
1. The Women's War
2. White Knights and Legal Knaves
3. Myra Bradwell
4. Lavinia Goodell
5. Belva A. Lockwood
6. Clara Foltz's Story
7. Not Everyone Is Bold
8. Lelia Robinson and Mary Greene
9. Law as a Woman's Enterprise
Epilogue
Notes
Select Bibliography
Index
About the Author
Contents
Preface
1. The Women's War
2. White Knights and Legal Knaves
3. Myra Bradwell
4. Lavinia Goodell
5. Belva A. Lockwood
6. Clara Foltz's Story
7. Not Everyone Is Bold
8. Lelia Robinson and Mary Greene
9. Law as a Woman's Enterprise
Epilogue
Notes
Select Bibliography
Index
About the Author