Leading lawyer helps UEL celebrate Women’s Day
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Published
08 March 2024
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One of Britain’s most distinguished lawyers, Baroness Helena Kennedy KC, has taken part in an event celebrating International Women’s Day at the University of East London (UEL).
The internationally renowned human rights champion engaged in an ‘In Conversation’ session with the University’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Amanda Broderick, exploring various aspects of the Baroness’s remarkable journey in the legal profession.
The discussion covered her reflections on prominent legal cases, her commitment to law reform, especially in areas related to sexual and domestic violence, and her efforts to achieve greater representation for women at senior levels in the legal profession.
Talking about her hopes for the future, Baroness Kennedy said,
I want to see a genuinely equal society and I want to see women being able to do everything and anything that they choose to do. We want women at those peace tables and building societies into the future, having more diversity there is important. I want to see women earning as much as men do, and they don't. I want to see women treated with dignity and respect.”
The event, hosted by the Royal Docks School of Business and Law, was held on Tuesday 5 March at UEL’s University Square Stratford campus, ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March. The day is celebrated around the world and serves to commemorate and honour women's accomplishments and to raise awareness about gender disparities and discrimination.
Saadiya Ahmad, UEL’s Director of Careers and Enterprise said, "As we mark International Women's Day, it was a profound honour to welcome Baroness Kennedy to the University of East London. Colleagues and students gained valuable insights from her distinguished career at the Bar and inspiring perspectives on gender equality, accessibility to education and her work in human rights."
Baroness Kennedy has long-standing ties with the University. She received an honorary doctorate in law from UEL in 1997. In addition, every year the Helena Kennedy Foundation invites FE Colleges and Sixth Form Colleges to nominate students to receive £2,250 bursaries, sponsored by the University, to support their progression to higher education. Last year, five students were awarded bursaries to start their degrees at UEL.
Speaking at Tuesday’s event, Baroness Kennedy said studying law offered students a wide range of opportunities. She said, "The training for law is terrific for life. You can use law as a background for going into many other things, and we do need lawyers. We need lawyers to be in the police and improve prosecution. We want lawyers working with senior police people. We need to rebuild the probation services which are being absolutely decimated and good lawyers in there, and criminologists."
Baroness Kennedy is a Barrister with over 50 years of experience and serves as a member of the House of Lords in the UK Parliament. She is also Chair of Justice, a leading law reform and human rights charity. It aims to reform the UK justice system with a focus on the most vulnerable and marginalised in society. In 2023, she was appointed Co-Chair of Bring Kids Back UA by the Office of the President of Ukraine - a high-level group of experts focused on returning forcefully deported children to Ukraine.
Details about the many law courses at UEL’s Royal Docks School of Business and Law, including its LLB (Hons) Law and LLM (Hons) Human Rights Advocacy, can be found on our website.