Author:
Lady Hale
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Sign up todaySpider Woman
A Life – by the former President of the Supreme Court
Narrator
Lady Hale
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Length
11 hours 22 minutes
Language
English
Brought to you by Penguin.
Lady Hale is an inspirational figure admired for her historic achievements and for the causes she has championed. Spider Woman is her story.
As 'a little girl from a little school in a little village in North Yorkshire', she only went into the law because her headteacher told her she wasn't clever enough to study history. She became the most senior judge in the country but it was an unconventional path to the top.
How does a self-professed 'girly swot' get ahead in a profession dominated by men? Was it a surprise that the perspectives of women and other disadvantaged groups had been overlooked, or that children's interests were marginalised? A lifelong smasher of glass-ceilings, who took as her motto 'women are equal to everything', her landmark rulings in areas including domestic violence, divorce, mental health and equality were her attempt to correct that.
As President of the Supreme Court, Lady Hale won global attention in finding the 2019 prorogation of Parliament to be unlawful. Yet that dramatic moment was merely the pinnacle of a career throughout which she was hailed as a pioneering reformer.
Wise, warm and inspiring, Spider Woman shows how the law shapes our world and supports us in crisis. It is the story of how Lady Hale found that she could overcome the odds, which shows that anyone from similar beginnings will find that they can cope too.
© Lady Hale 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021
Brenda Hale, Rt Hon Baroness Hale of Richmond DBE, was born in Yorkshire and studied Law at Girton College, Cambridge. She was called to the Bar in 1969 and spent almost twenty years in academia alongside working as a part-time barrister.
In 1984, Lady Hale became the first woman and the youngest person to be appointed to the Law Commission. During her nine years there, she would oversee critical reforms in family law. She was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1989.
Lady Hale became a judge in the Family Division of the High Court of Justice in 1994 and in 2004 was made the United Kingdom's first woman Lord of Appeal in Ordinary. She was appointed Deputy President of the Supreme Court in 2013, and ultimately served as President from 2017 to 2020.
Brenda Hale, Rt Hon Baroness Hale of Richmond DBE, was born in Yorkshire and studied Law at Girton College, Cambridge. She was called to the Bar in 1969 and spent almost twenty years in academia alongside working as a part-time barrister.
In 1984, Lady Hale became the first woman and the youngest person to be appointed to the Law Commission. During her nine years there, she would oversee critical reforms in family law. She was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1989.
Lady Hale became a judge in the Family Division of the High Court of Justice in 1994 and in 2004 was made the United Kingdom's first woman Lord of Appeal in Ordinary. She was appointed Deputy President of the Supreme Court in 2013, and ultimately served as President from 2017 to 2020.
Audiobook details
Narrator:
Lady Hale
ISBN:
9781473590793
Length:
11 hours 22 minutes
Language:
English
Publisher:
Random House
Publication date:
October 7, 2021
Edition:
Unabridged
Reviews
A compelling account of a path-breaking and inspirational career by one of the most influential lawyers and judges of our times Brenda Hale's story is extraordinary. She has been a pioneer as a woman... Spider woman and agent of change Lady Hale takes us on the journey from 'girly swot' to 'Spider Woman' and along the way teaches us about the importance of the rule of law and protecting human rights... with humanity, humour and deep insightThis is an extraordinary and essential journey through the law by the most inspiring of figures
Fluently written... Her accounts of her more groundbreaking cases are fascinating... [Spider Woman is] quietly thrilling Brenda Hale is a superhero who embodies Parker's law that great power brings equivalent responsibility. Her wise, accessible memoir is essential, entertaining and inspirational reading for all lovers of freedom, equality and justice What a life, what a story... Spider Woman is restrained, warm, dryly funny ... and an inspiration to all women to aim high... Whatever her title, Brenda Hale rocks Inspirational and iconic A feminist icon... Her success story is an inspiration for men and women both - showing that law matters This book is not only essential reading for anyone who is in the Law or interested in the Law but it is also a fascinating personal story Expand reviews
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