Baroness Hale Opens New Research Centre at St Mary’s University

British legal academic, barrister, judge, and Deputy President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom The Rt Hon the Baroness Hale of Richmond opened a new research centre at St Mary’s University, Twickenham this week. St Mary’s new Centre for Law and Culture officially launched during a celebration event on Wednesday 11th June, with Baroness Hale delivering an inaugural lecture exploring women in the judiciary. The evening was hosted by the Centre’s co-directors and St Mary’s Law lecturers Dr Thomas Giddens and Dr Judith Bourne, who welcomed more than 80 guests to campus including judges, law practitioners, academics and students from across the UK. During her talk, Baroness Hale discussed access to judicial posts, highlighting the radical gender inequality that is evident in the higher echelons of the judiciary. With over half of Law graduates in the UK being women, Lady Hale set out the systemic barriers that stop women and ethnic minorities from progressing up the ranks of judges. It is not enough that we have formal equality, she suggested; we need to rethink the criteria that we use to recruit judges, as well as the system of progression within the legal system itself. In addition, Lady Hale highlighted the traditionally ‘male’ nature of the profession, noting the wigs and gowns that many barristers and judges have to wear—wigs that are designed specifically for men. These elements of costume, she argued, have no bearing or impact on the serious business of judging, and if anything get in the way of reasoned discussion and decision-making. Lady Hale was thanked by St Mary’s Law student Bernadette Powell for taking the time to come and open the Centre and give her talk. Dr Thomas Giddens said, “It was a very interesting talk from Baroness Hale, highlighting some vital issues for our legal profession. The evening itself was also a lovely event, and it was brilliant to see so many people interested in the opening of the Centre, including our own students. Some people had travelled quite far to be with us, and everyone’s support is hugely appreciated.” The Centre will be a hub for academic research relating to the various emanations and intersections of Law and Culture including legal theory and philosophy, criminology, legal ethics along with aspects of wider society and culture which the law operates within.