English: As part of our Vote 100 portrait project, Dr Katie Bales, a Lecturer in Law, talks about the achievements on Lady Hale, President of the Supreme Court and former Chancellor of the University of Bristol:

"Born in West Yorkshire in 1945, Baroness Hale attended Richmond High School for Girls, and then went on to study Law at Girton College, Cambridge. She graduated top of her class, obtaining the only ‘starred’ first of her year group.

"What followed was a career of many firsts. Not only is Lady Hale the first woman to assume the role of Supreme Court President, and the first woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court, she was also the first woman to be appointed a Law Lord within the House of Lords.

"Lady Hale has been a consistent and outspoken voice against gender inequality and lack of diversity within the legal profession. In 1984 she co-authored the first survey of women’s working rights and, when she became a Law Lord in 2003, she created a coat of arms, with the motto 'Omina Feminae Aequissimae' meaning women are equal to everything.

"Much of the work she has done as a speaker from a feminist perspective will ensure that she is not the last woman to reach this professional level, and has gone to great lengths to open doors for other women entering the profession.

"Here in the Wills Memorial Building, Lady Hale inspired future generations of lawyers during her time as Chancellor (2004 to 2016). She was known for her warmth at graduations - when students crossed the stage to have their degree formally conferred, she wouldn’t let go of their hands until she’d seen them smile."

Portrait by Jessica Augarde Photography.

Photo of Lady Hale reproduced with the kind permission of Mat Smith Photography.