Ethel Benjamin
Encyclopedia
Ethel Rebecca Benjamin was New Zealand
’s first female lawyer. On 17 September 1897, she became the first woman in the British Empire to appear as counsel in court, representing a client for the recovery of a debt. She was the second woman in the Empire to be admitted as a barrister and solicitor, two months after Clara Brett Martin
of Canada
.
, to Lizzie Mark and Henry Benjamin, a Dunedin money-broker. The family were Orthodox Jews, and she is believed to be the eldest of at least seven children. She attended Otago Girls' High School
from 1883 to 1892.
for an LLB degree, not knowing if she would be able to practice law on completion:
Benjamin graduated in July 1897, having achieved outstanding marks in her course. The Female Law Practitioners Act was passed in 1896 and on 10 May 1897 she was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of New Zealand.
Upon her graduation, Benjamin was asked to speak on behalf of all the graduates. She is reported to have said:
Despite receiving adverse treatment from the Otago District Law Society at the time, such as restricted access to the society's library, she opened and ran a successful legal practice, primarily as a solicitor. Her cases included wife abuse, divorce, and adoption.
In 1899, the Dunedin branch of the New Zealand Society for the Protection of Women and Children made Ethel Benjamin honorary solicitor.
. She continued her legal practice, in an office adjacent to her husband's. In 1908, the De Costas moved to England and during World War I
Ethel De Costa managed a bank in Sheffield
. Between the wars, the De Costas lived in southern France and Italy. Ethel was accidentally struck by a motor vehicle, and died of a fractured skull in Mount Vernon Hospital at Northwood, Middlesex, England, on 14 October 1943.
Ethel Benjamin Place, a cul de sac across the road from the University of Otago Central Library, was named after the lawyer, during Suffrage Centennial Year 1993.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
’s first female lawyer. On 17 September 1897, she became the first woman in the British Empire to appear as counsel in court, representing a client for the recovery of a debt. She was the second woman in the Empire to be admitted as a barrister and solicitor, two months after Clara Brett Martin
Clara Brett Martin
Clara Brett Martin , born to Abram and Elizabeth Martin, a well-to-do Anglican-Irish family, opened the way for women to become lawyers in Canada by being the first in the British Empire in 1897....
of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Early life
Benjamin was born in DunedinDunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
, to Lizzie Mark and Henry Benjamin, a Dunedin money-broker. The family were Orthodox Jews, and she is believed to be the eldest of at least seven children. She attended Otago Girls' High School
Otago Girls' High School
Otago Girls' High School is a secondary school in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. It was opened 6 February 1871, after a long campaign by educationalist Learmonth Whyte Dalrymple...
from 1883 to 1892.
Legal career
In 1893 Benjamin enrolled at the University of OtagoUniversity of Otago
The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...
for an LLB degree, not knowing if she would be able to practice law on completion:
Benjamin graduated in July 1897, having achieved outstanding marks in her course. The Female Law Practitioners Act was passed in 1896 and on 10 May 1897 she was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of New Zealand.
Upon her graduation, Benjamin was asked to speak on behalf of all the graduates. She is reported to have said:
Despite receiving adverse treatment from the Otago District Law Society at the time, such as restricted access to the society's library, she opened and ran a successful legal practice, primarily as a solicitor. Her cases included wife abuse, divorce, and adoption.
In 1899, the Dunedin branch of the New Zealand Society for the Protection of Women and Children made Ethel Benjamin honorary solicitor.
Marriage and relocations
Ethel Benjamin married Alfred Mark Ralph De Costa in 1907, and moved to live with him in WellingtonWellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
. She continued her legal practice, in an office adjacent to her husband's. In 1908, the De Costas moved to England and during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Ethel De Costa managed a bank in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
. Between the wars, the De Costas lived in southern France and Italy. Ethel was accidentally struck by a motor vehicle, and died of a fractured skull in Mount Vernon Hospital at Northwood, Middlesex, England, on 14 October 1943.
Legacy
The Ethel Benjamin Prize for women was established in 1997 by the New Zealand Law Foundation, to mark the centenary of the admission of Ethel Benjamin as New Zealand's first woman barrister and solicitor. the $20,000 NZD prize is awarded annually, to two female recipients.Ethel Benjamin Place, a cul de sac across the road from the University of Otago Central Library, was named after the lawyer, during Suffrage Centennial Year 1993.
See also
- Cornelia SorabjiCornelia SorabjiCornelia Sorabji was the first female barrister from India, a social reformer, and a writer. She was also the first female graduate from Bombay University, and the first woman in the world to read law at Oxford....
in IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world... - Eliza Orme in EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
- Ivy WilliamsIvy WilliamsDr. Ivy Williams , was the first woman to be called to the English bar.She was born in Newton Abbot and educated privately...
in England