State Bar of Wisconsin

Between 1879 and 1943, 150 women pioneered the inclusion of their sex into the legal world. In 1998 the State Bar of Wisconsin honored Wisconsin's first 150 women lawyers at a event attended by more than 700 people In addition, it published biographies and produced a videotape commemorating their lives.

The first woman lawyer was admitted to the Wisconsin Bar in 1879 and the 150th was admitted in 1943, a 60-year span in Wisconsin history. Their stories share common themes of struggle and success, conflict and contribution, not to mention discrimination and justice.

We invite you to explore this site and examine the lives of these remarkable women. Their stories should make all of us, as lawyers and citizens, proud of our tradition and proud of our place in Wisconsin history. Even more, they all remind us of where we have been and where we need to go.

• Hundreds Turn Out to Honor 150 Pioneering Women Attorneys 
• Celebrating the Short History of Wisconsin Women in the Law
• Women in Wisconsin's Legal Profession - An Historical Perspective
• The Woman Has Robes: Four Questions
• In Quest of Historical Record: Researching Wisconsin's First 150 Women Lawyers
• Biographies of the First 150 Women Lawyers
  • List of Wisconsin's Early Women Lawyers
  • Biographies
• Contributors
• Order copies of the commemorative video and book