© Mitchell Library, Glasgow
Madge Easton Anderson was the first woman admitted to practise as a professional lawyer in the UK, after qualifying as a solicitor in Scotland.
Born in Glasgow on 24th April 1896, her father Robert Easton made surgical instruments. Whilst studying for her MA, BL and LLB at the University of Glasgow, she began working as an apprentice law agent in May 1917. She graduated with an LLB in 1920, the first woman to at Glasgow University to do so. In 1920 she was the first woman to be admitted to the legal profession following the passing of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919.
Her application for admission as a law agent was initially refused because her three years of training began before the passing of the Act so it had not been properly registered. She appealed to the Court of Session. The case was heard in December 1920, and the court upheld her appeal.
