In 1981, as a pupil barrister, I was sent to the Old Bailey to make a bail application. It was my first time at the Central Criminal court and it took me a while to find a room with ‘Robing Room’ on the door. I went in and started changing into my court gear, A furious male Silk came over to me and asked what I thought I was doing making a feminist protest by coming into the male robing room. I pointed out that it was ignorance rather than protest and that the sign on the door had given no indication that it was ‘male only.’ This did not stop the tirade, which went on to the effect that I was taking a ‘good man’s job.’ I was rescued by a young male barrister who showed me to a door with a handwritten sign taped to it saying ‘Ladies’ Robing Room.’ It turned out that this was a former cleaning cupboard which was now in use as a robing room for female barristers and in stark contrast to the large and rather grand ‘Robing Room’ for men only.