WICL's 'Women’s Faces Project’ in celebration of International Women's Day

On 9 March, members of Sonn Macmillan Walker were proud to support the Women in Criminal Law ‘Women’s Faces Project’, hosted across Southwark Crown Court, Manchester Crown Court, and Sheffield Crown Court to mark International Women’s Day.

Portraits celebrating the women who have shaped criminal law were displayed in robing rooms and bar messes, ensuring that the faces and legacies of these trailblazers were visible across the country.

While the walls honoured pioneers of the past, the rooms themselves were filled with the inspiring women who continue to shape the profession today. Attendees also heard powerful and thought-provoking words from Kirsty Brimelow KC, Chair of the Criminal Bar Council, and Katy Thorne KC, Head of Women in Criminal Law.

At Southwark, our paraleagl, Elif, had the privilege of reading aloud the names of some of the remarkable women whose contributions to criminal law are recognised through the project—women whose work continues to inspire the profession.

We are grateful to the judiciary and court staff who supported the events, and to the many women who organised and attended in support of this important initiative.

The project is a powerful reminder that women have shaped criminal law, continue to lead it, and will define its future.

Here’s to the women of the criminal Bar — and to the allies who stand beside them! 

Elif Bilecan, Kirsty Brimelow KC, Katy Thorne KC