There have been many “firsts” since Ivy Williams became the first woman to be called to the English bar in 1922. As much as these achievements are to be celebrated, and the women themselves applauded for overcoming gender barriers over the years, it is somehow astounding that we are still celebrating “firsts” in 2019.

In only the last four years, we have seen a series of “firsts”. Including, but not limited to, Dame Parmjit Kaur (Bobbie) Cheema-Grubb becoming the first Asian woman to be appointed to the High Court, Dr Victoria Helen McCloud becoming the first transgender female judge in the UK and Denisa Gannon becoming the first qualified Roma solicitor in the UK. These are of course fantastic achievements and the women mentioned above have had to work much harder than many men and women to get to where they are.

Positive steps have been taken with regards to establishing gender equality in the law, but there is still a long way to go. We should all work to make sure that we have no need to celebrate “firsts” for much longer and that everyone has the opportunities they deserve.