The Next 100 Years launches lecture series to champion female legal expertise

The Next 100 Years has launched an annual lecture series, Heilbron Lectures, named after Rose Heilbron QC – the first female senior judge and joint first female Queen’s Counsel (QC).

The series of annual lectures will promote rising female legal experts and balance out the current male-dominated lecture format.

The Next 100 Years project is committed to “achieving equality for women in law” and hopes that by providing a lecture platform for female legal experts, a pool of diverse new voices will be added to the landscape of leading legal commentators who shape the conversation on prominent legal issues.  

Human rights barrister, Kirsty Brimelow QC of Doughty Street Chambers, will virtually deliver the first lecture in the series on Tuesday 1 December at 6:30pm on ‘Love, Law and Government’. The lecture will last 45 minutes and will consider the response to covid-19 and what it means for individual human rights, the common good and the future that lies ahead for British society. It will be followed by a Q&A session with the speaker.

Founder of the Next 100 Years and its predecessor the First 100 Years, Dana Denis-Smith said: “I have long been frustrated by seeing the same names of white men crop up time and again when it comes to high profile lectures on the law. Women might be represented on panels or when speaking about their experiences of breaking the glass ceiling but are rarely seen as keynote speakers.

“We want to give women a platform to show their brilliant minds and deliver public lectures on the widest range of topics. Ensuring that women from all areas of the profession are visible, are known for their legal expertise and are at the forefront of shaping current legal debates is a vital part of progressing towards equality, representing women at the very highest levels of the profession and providing role models for aspiring female lawyers.”