The First Women Lawyers A Comparative Study of Gender, Law and the Legal Professions

Mossman's The First Women Lawyers offers a pinnacle achievement, both in depth of biographical and legal case inquiry and in scope of comparative cross-national research. For scholars of the legal profession, and gender and the professions more generally, The First Women Lawyers is simply required reading…offers tremendous breadth of cross-national research and refined precision through detailed individual biographies, blended together in a masterful work. Extricating patterns across countries, time, lives, and laws is a monumental undertaking. Mossman succeeds formidably, and her meticulous comparative analyses reveal several compelling patterns…offers a wealth of new insights and resolutely challenges established views held by several scholars of women in the legal profession...does much to advance our understanding of the culture of the legal profession and women's challenges to male exclusivity during the past two hundred years...Mossman...provides the most ambitious cross-national comparative and historical work on women lawyers to date.
Fiona M. Kay
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
Vol. 45, No. 2



…a thoughtful exploration…it fits well alongside..the contemporary accounts of women lawyers at the turn of the 21st century…
Erika Rackley
Feminist Legal Studies
Jan 2007



It is a compelling story both scholars and the general population should be able to appreciate. In addition, the book is particularly well suited for those interested in comparative scholarship, gender issues, and of course, law and politics…It is one thing to write a scholarly work, and another to write in a manner that makes the experience both informative and enjoyable. Mossman clearly does the latter while holding true to comparative and historical institutionalist methodology.
Jennifer Woodward
Law and Politics Book Review Vol.17 No.2
Feb 2007



I recommend this as a text for graduate students in women studies or legal history; as a text for further reading for undergraduate studies in colleges and universities, particularly in the areas of organizational behaviour or human resources. It is an edifying and informative read for feminists.
Patricia DeGuire
Voices, Vol 13, No 2
Jan 07



Some of the most interesting insights of Mossman's work involve her identification of those historical aspects of women's entry into the law that shaped and continue to impact the way the profession is conducted today.
Sara Gottlieb
German Law Journal, No 3
March 2007



...a rich historical treasure trove in which one can find lots of theoretical and evidential jewels…[Mossman's] assiduous approach to research, combined with her wide knowledge of previous work on women's entry into the legal profession, has enabled her to make useful cross-cultural comparisons and new theoretical points.
Dr Paula Bartley
Women's History Magazine
Issue 57, Autumn 2007



In its identification of important themes and issues, no less than its careful study of hitherto neglected sources, Mossman's book offers an invaluable and very readable contribution.
Rosemary Auchmuty
The Journal of Legal History
28:2, August 2007



The First Women Lawyers is a lively account of remarkable women who became the first women to practice law in their regions

The breadth and detail of this work develops themes of gender and professionalism on a global scale, while remaining true to the lives and spirits of these women.

The issues raised … establish and important context to the issues we face today in the professions.
Linda Gehrke
Journal of Law and Social Policy
Volume 22, 2009