Stephanie Boyce, an alumna and the first black woman to hold the position of Deputy Vice President of the Law Society, visited the University.
Date: 16 January 2020
London Met was delighted to welcome Deputy Vice President of the Law Society and alumna Stephanie Boyce back to the University. On her visit she donated a copy of new book FIRST: 100 Years of Women in Law to the Holloway Road Library and explored the new Mock Courtroom on campus.
Boyce is the first black woman to hold her position in the Law Society, which will see her become Vice-President this year, and President in 2021. She is an experienced general counsel and has worked in-house at the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. She currently sits on the Law Society Council holding one of the seats from the Women Lawyers Division. She also chairs the Council Members’ Conduct Committee.
Discussing the necessity of diversity in the law, and of diverse institutions like London Met on her visit, Stephanie said: “It’s important that we have visible role models, that we have diversity of thought, that we have inclusion, and that everybody, regardless of their characteristics, has the opportunity to achieve everything that they can.”
FIRST by Lucinda Acland and Kate Broomfield was published to mark the centenary of the 1919 Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act, and tells the story of women in law in their first 100 years of practice. From early campaigners through to the first women solicitors, barristers, magistrates, and judges, the book tells the often untold stories of the pioneers, reformers and influencers who paved the way, revealing the barriers they faced, their challenges and triumphs. It offers a unique insight into how women have made their way in a profession still dominated by men, and looks ahead to the prospects for women in law in the next 100 years.
Stephanie, who studied Law with Politics at the University from 1996 to 1999, is highlighted as a legal pioneer in the book.
