"The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights." - Gloria Steinem 

International Women's Day takes place on the 8th March and has been a day of recognition for well over a century - the first International Women's Day (IWD) was held in March 1911.

33 Bedford Row is a Barristers' Chambers with over 50% female members, and we would like to use the opportunity to recognise their achievements and careers in the Law. The campaign theme for International Women's Day 2024 is Inspire Inclusion. We interviewed some of our barristers to hear more about what 'inspire inclusion' means to them, and to have a look at their journey to becoming successful barristers at our leading common law set. 

The first barrister we would like to highlight is Christina Warner. Having been described as a “powerful” advocate as well as possessing a “human touch”, Christina has channelled her efforts into raising awareness of the needs of the disabled community when accessing justice.

Christina has had a brilliant career so far, as detailed below.

In October 2023, she was a panel speaker at the All-Party Parliamentary Group in the House of Commons, discussing the link between human and animal violence, drawing on her knowledge of disabled victims of domestic abuse. She was also invited to speak at the International Criminal Court Bar Association’s panel discussion on international humanitarian law and disability on 25.01.2024.

One of only a handful of disabled barristers in practice, Christina was diagnosed with Stargardts Disease – a progressive condition which causes sight loss – she has used her experience to support those living with or challenged by disability within family proceedings. Christina has been recognised through numerous awards and accolades for her campaigning and advocacy on disability matters, including being listed as one of the UK’s most influential disabled people by leading disability charity, the Shaw Trust. She is regularly published on domestic and international issues affecting the disabled community, such as do not resuscitate orders, disability and the right to decide, and the impact of international conflicts on disabled women and girls.

Associate counsel at the International Criminal Court, Christina is a multi award-winning advocate, published globally. She has been credited by Amnesty UK, the UK Diversity Legal Awards, and the National Diversity Awards amongst others. Most recently Christina was listed as one of the most influential disabled people in the UK by leading disability charity, the Shaw Trust for a second consecutive year.

Chrisitna has highlighted this quote from Sonia Maria Sotomayor:

“I do know one thing about me: I don’t measure myself by others’ expectations or let others define my worth.” - Sonia Maria Sotomayor, the first Hispanic and Latina Supreme Court Justice. 

Another one of our barristers we would like to call attention to is Rabia Mir. Rabia is an experienced and accomplished barrister with a focus on family law. Rabia's family practices encompasses Care and Family Law Act work. Rabia has extensive experience in financial remedies (matrimonial finance), Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989 matters and Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996 (TOLATA). Rabia is noted for her meticulous advocacy and attention to detail. She is known for her client focused approach and her calm and effective manner with her clients. 

We asked Rabia to give some detail on her career journey, any proud moments, and if she had any advice for aspiring female lawyers: 

"My legal career probably began at the age of 6, when I not only moved to England but to east London and was found regularly negotiating with stall holders in Walthamstow market. While a proud moment in itself, other career highlights included, setting my university’s first ever legal Pro bono centre, being involved in a successful multi handed murder appeal, following the change in the law relating to joint enterprise. Now as a dedicated family practitioner, I am proud every single day to give a voice to parents and children during care and private proceedings and also to robustly represent local authorities in taking the necessary steps to protect children and vulnerable young people."

 

"A recent highlight was when I successfully defended a client during a fact finding relating to rape, resulting in no findings being made against my client. The judge commended me for my ‘exceptional cross examination and robust representation of my client’ and encouraged me to apply for a judicial post because ‘I would be a tremendous asset to the judiciary’. #lifegoals. My advice to my younger self and aspiring female lawyers would be this: listen to yourself and others, be calm, be kind, be patient but don’t just accept rudeness or aggression as ‘part of the job’. It’s not, we all owe it to ourselves and each other as women to have each others' back. Give yourself a proper break. And never believe that a judge is agreeing with you just because they are nodding during your submissions." 

"You will not know everything. This profession is all about curveballs, from last minute change of instructions to unpredictable decisions. But know that you are capable, you have a right to be here and you are good enough. We’re all in it together." - Rabia Mir, Barrister at 33 Bedford Row

 

Zahra Ahmed is the third barrister we would like to highlight. Zahra has developed a successful practice encompassing regulatory and public law and in addition to her public and regulatory practice, Zahra has been appointed as a Commissioner of the Criminal Cases Review Commission by Her Majesty the Queen. The Commission is an official independent body that investigates potential miscarriages of justice.

We also asked Zahra to contribute some words on her career and what it means to her to be a practicing barrister: 

"I have practised at the Bar for over a decade, and it has been rewarding. My work allows me to advocate for others, serve the public, impact on people’s lives, and bring resolution to disputes. I am grateful for a vocation that is intellectually rewarding, and involves challenging the evidence, inequalities, and irregularities. Having started my career at the criminal Bar, my practice has expanded into public law and regulatory work. My vocation allows me to speak on issues that affect the public, whether it is making decisions on miscarriages of justice, securing orders for public protection, or fighting for a person’s liberty or their reputation.

My door is always open to aspiring female lawyers and I have mentored professional women. I hear from the young women considering a career at the Bar, and especially from women of colour, that it does not always feel as though you ‘belong’ in this profession. You are not alone in this. Every step, however small in your eyes, is progress.  Focus on your growth, work on yourself, do not give up. I always need to remind myself in my own journey that visibility is part of a bigger purpose played by women at the Bar. My advice to other women would be to not give up. Women like me need to see women like me."

 

Sapna Shah is a family law barrister of 15 years’ experience specialising in aspects of private children law and financial relief.  Sapna combines her deep knowledge of the law with a key ability to get to the root of problems. Sapna is driven to constantly look for innovative ways to secure outcomes in her clients’ best interests, which might involve thinking outside the box. She has been described recently by an opponent as “simply brilliant” in her non-hostile approach to skilfully settling a serious matter without taking it to final hearing and thereby saving both parties thousands of pounds in legal fees. 

 

 

We asked Sapna to look at this year's International Woman's Day theme - 'inspire inclusion' - and to analyse what this means in wider terms; in life, hisotry and the workplace. Sapna explained that inspiring inclusion means...

• Being the first kid on that playground to invite that little girl who doesn’t quite fit in (because she is a different colour/size/height/from a different area…) to come and play
• Asking my teenage mates to stop fat shaming/colour shaming/gender shaming and to be courageous enough to post my views about this, on my own social media
• Being that person who is not afraid to speak with those who are cast out by society:  if you were in India and found yourself amongst the ‘untouchables’, would you speak with that woman who cleans your toilets?  If you were on a busy street at night in a city and found yourself amongst ‘ladies of the night’ would you be comfortable in suggesting that they are simply there to earn a living?  Shouldn’t these members of society be allowed education (the same schools as we/our children attend), be allowed into our bars, restaurants, just as much as we are? 
• Ensuring my workplace is ALL inclusive when it comes to recruitment
• Stopping all name calling
• Creating rules in school
• Creating rules in the workplace

Most importantly, Sapna explained the importance of educating future generations on the above points so that "we need not teach them about any of the above, because it comes naturally". 

Sapna also brings in some literary reference to talk about this theme and what it means. When considering Harper Lee's character Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird, Sapna explains, "She was feisty, a young white girl with boyish looks, who wore boys’ dungarees (at least that’s how she was portrayed) and, she always had an inner sense of supporting the underdog, whilst not necessarily being consciously aware of why she was doing it.  She had been raised to align her actions with her principles and values and that’s exactly what she did, fearlessly.  Yes, Scout inspired inclusion in her own way.  She made me understand that looks and background have no purpose/relevance, when it comes to doing the right thing.  I first read the book when I was in a high school in deep southern States, when I was about 12, in an era where we still had ‘black’ prom kings and queens and ‘white’ prom kings and queens, so the book had a lasting impact.  All those kids in that school inspired inclusion as, even though they didn’t realise that what was happening was utterly wrong, they did as they were told and yet made friends with each other.  In the early 1980s (yes, I am that old) so really not that long ago!

 

Thank you to Christina, Sapna , Zahra and Rabia who provided such brilliant interviews for this article. These are just a few highlights of the incredible female barristers who make up our team at 33 Bedford Row. 

Final mention goes to Deborah Seitler who is head of the Family Team at 33 Bedford Row. Deborah is known for her skills as an advocate, her ability to add insight, empathy, strategy and tenacity to any case whether acting for lay or professional clients. Deborah is committed to training and skill sharing. She regularly provides keynote lectures for the 33 Bedford Row Autumn Lecture series and has participated in training social workers and other professionals. 

Deborah "goes beyond the usual call and takes a creative approach undertaking exceptional advocacy on challenging applications to secure the best outcomes for vulnerable clients." - Legal 500 

When asked to provide some words for IWD 2024, Deborah explained how incredibly inspired she is by each and every one of the barristers at 33 Bedford Row.

Word from IWD:

"When we inspire others to understand and value women's inclusion, we forge a better world. And when women themselves are inspired to be included, there's a sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment. Collectively, let's forge a more inclusive world for women." - IWD