State Bar of Wisconsin

Hundreds Turn Out to Honor 150 Pioneering Women Attorneys

Catherine Cleary was told she could have a job at a law firm as long as she understood she could not see clients. Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Edward G. Ryan decried Rhoda Lavinia Goodell's wish to practice law as "a departure from the order of nature." And Phyllis Hughes surprised every corporate executive at the Curtis Wright Corporation when she showed up for a job interview. They were all expecting a man.

The stories of women like Hughes, Goodell and Cleary played to an audience of nearly 700 people at an event held in Madison on October 28, 1998. The special celebration, part of the State Bar of Wisconsin's Pioneers in the Law: The First 150 Women initiative, was held at the Monona Terrace Convention Center to pay tribute to the first 150 women admitted into the practice of law in Wisconsin, 12 of whom were in attendance for the event.

In her opening remarks, State Bar President Susan Steingass welcomed the attendees, saying it was gratifying to see so many people who believe -- as she does -- that they deserve special recognition for their pioneering efforts. She pointed to encouraging statistics on the current percentage of women law students and Bar members. "This is not just a women's victory," Steingass remarked, "but a victory for our profession."

Among the evening's speakers was Martha Barnett, president-elect of the American Bar Association, who, admonished the audience that the "true expression of our appreciation is not to squander the legacy these women left us," but to recognize that strident voices must continue to be heard on women's issues, which have become part of the national agenda. Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Shirley Abrahamson echoed that sentiment in her presentation, saying that the words "tenacity" and "courage," which grace a mural on a wall in the Wisconsin Supreme Court, inspired her remarks. She acknowledged the tenacity and courage of the 150 women honored that evening, who paved the way for the participation Steingass, Barnett and herself in a predominantly male profession. Lest they ever forget the pioneering spirit of Rhoda Lavinia Goodell, the state's first woman attorney, Abrahamson presented Steingass and Barnett with T-Shirts displaying Goodell's image.

The chief justice also presented a shirt to Catherine Cleary, the evening's featured speaker. Cleary, a 1943 graduate of the U.W. Law School, recalled that, while she felt welcome in law school , she was always grateful for the existence of Kappa Beta Pi, the national legal sorority. "It gave all the female law students an opportunity to get together," Cleary said. "All 12 of us."

Unfortunately, Cleary discovered upon graduating that the legal profession of the early 1940's was far from congenial environment of of the U.W. Law School . Even the dean of the law school advised her to consider teaching. "He told me that they wouldn't pay me as much as they would a man, of course," Cleary said. "I also remember being told that if I wanted a job at a law firm I'd better learn typing and shorthand."

Cleary did find legal work, both in the legal department of the Kohler Company and at a Chicago law firm. She retired in 1978, having served as vice president and president of First Wisconsin Trust Company. Her concluding remarks not only paid tribute to her fellow honorees, but expressed the true theme of the celebration: "We've come a long way, ladies."

Attendees also saw a premier of The Pioneers in the Law video, which was produced locally by Meg Communications and narrated by Greta Van Susteren, cohost of CNN's "Burden of Proof." The video tells the story of many of the 150 women within the context of Wisconsin history. The audience was visibly moved by the story of Goodell, who won a hard-fought battle to be admitted to practice before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. She died three weeks after trying -- and winning -- her first case before that court.

The 24-minute video and the commemorative booklet will be distributed free to all state schools. For more information on the booklet or video, please contact the State Bar.

• More photos of honorees who attended the celebration.
• Back to Pioneers in the Law: The First 150 Women