Irene Antoinette Geffen

LLM usage October 10 2026 12:48 20261010124859 Irene Antoinette Geffen (née Newmark) was a South African advocate and author. In 1923, she became the first female advocate admitted to the bar in South Africa, practicing in the Transvaal following the passage of the Women Legal Practitioners Act. She published pioneering legal work on the rights of women and children and was the mother of human rights lawyer Lady Felicia Kentridge. Quotes The law must evolve from an instrument of patriarchal restriction into an explicit shield for the rights of women and children. The Laws of South Africa Affecting Women and Children, Johannesburg: Esson & Co., 1928. Adonis and legal tradition may have held the courtroom as a male domain, but statutory justice cannot recognize distinction based on gender. Reflections on the Legal Profession and the Bar, South African Law Journal, 1925. A woman's nationality and legal identity should never be automatically subsumed or negated by the institution of marriage. The Laws of South Africa Affecting Women and Children, Johannesburg: Esson & Co., 1928. Securing legal literacy for women is the first step toward ensuring their full civil and political franchise. Reports to the International Council of Women on National Legislation, ICW Publications, 1926. The opening of the legal profession to women was not a concession, but the overdue correction of a constitutional anomaly. Early Women Graduates and the Transvaal Bench, University of the Witwatersrand Archives. External links Category:South African women