Lady Hale to be keynote speaker at Society's annual conference

Lady Hale, the first woman President of the UK Supreme Court, has confirmed as keynote speaker at this year's Law Society of Scotland annual conference.

Appointed President of the UK Supreme Court from September 2017, Lady Hale's career has been marked by a number of firsts. In 1984 she was the first woman to be appointed to the Law Commission of England & Wales, followed a decade later with her appointment as a High Court judge, the first to have worked principally as an academic and public servant, rather than a practising barrister. In 1999 Lady Hale was the second woman to be promoted to the Court of Appeal, prior to becoming the United Kingdom’s first and only woman Lord of Appeal in Ordinary. When the Law Lords became Justices of the Supreme Court in 2009, Lady Hale became the first woman to hold that positon, and was appointed Deputy President in 2013.

Alison Atack, Vice President of the Law Society of Scotland, commented: "I’m absolutely delighted that Lady Hale will be speaking at the annual conference during my term as Law Society President. She has had an extraordinary career, which I’m sure is an inspiration to many in the legal profession and beyond.

"The appointment of the first female President of the Supreme Court last year marked a significant step forward in having greater equality and diversity within the judiciary, something Lady Hale has actively campaigned for, and it is completely fitting that we can announce she is to be a keynote speaker today, International Women’s Day.

"As the UK’s most senior judge, she will be able to share some of the knowledge and experience garnered during the course of her career as well as exploring the contribution of Scottish cases in developing UK law."

The conference, Leading Legal Excellence, will offer a wide ranging agenda on the day, with keynote speakers, streamed sessions and workshops. It takes place on Friday 26 October at the EICC, Edinburgh. Further speakers will be announced in due course and the full programme will be published in June.

There is a special introductory price, representing a 45% saving, from today, 8 March until 5 April on all annual conference tickets. For more information and to book a ticket go to the Law Society of Scotland website.