Averil Katherine Statter Deverell (2 January 1893 – 11 February 1979) was one of the first two women

barristers A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

in all of Great Britain and Ireland.

Biography

Deverell was born on 2 January 1893 in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

to William Deverell and Ada Kate Statter Carr. Her father was a

solicitor A solicitor is a lawyer who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to p ...

who became Clerk of the Crown and Peace for

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606 in Ireland, 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces ...

, and her mother was the daughter of a London solicitor. She had a twin brother, William Berenger Statter Deverell (1893–1966), who also became a barrister. Her cousin, Naomi Constance Wallace (1891–1980), would be called to the bar at the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

a year after Deverell, in November 1922. Growing up in

Greystones Greystones () is a coastal town and seaside resort in County Wicklow, Ireland. It lies on Ireland's east coast, south of Bray and south of Dublin city centre and has a population of 22,009, according to the 2022 census. The town is border ...

, she was taught by her governess until she attended the French School, Bray, while socialising with Irish aristocracy at home. Deverell attended

Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...

(TCD), in 1911, a few years after it opened its doors to women in 1904, and was awarded an

LLB A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

in 1915.First 100 Years, https://first100years.org.uk/averil-deverell/, Accessed 15 June 2018 She joined Trinity’s

St John Ambulance St John Ambulance is an affiliated movement of charitable organisations in mostly Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries which provide first aid education and consumables and emergency medical services. St John organisations are primari ...

VAD unit in 1912 and drove an ambulance in France during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

from July to December 1918. When the law changed in 1919 to allow women to become barristers, she and

Frances Kyle Frances Christian Kyle, LLB (30 October 1893 – 22 June 1958) was a Northern Irish barrister and the first woman, together with Averil Deverell, to be admitted to the bar in either Ireland or Great Britain, being called to the Bar of Irelan ...

read for the bar at the

King's Inns The Honorable Society of King's Inns () is the "Inn of Court" for the Bar of Ireland. Established in 1541, King's Inns is Ireland's oldest school of law and one of Ireland's significant historical environments. The Benchers of King's Inns aw ...

. She was given an exemption from the full requirements because of her service during the war. When she and Frances Kyle were

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

on 1 November 1921, the admission of two women made international headlines. As she was called to the bar in November 1921, which pre-dated the

Anglo-Irish Treaty The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty (), commonly known in Ireland as The Treaty and officially the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was an agreement between the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain an ...

, and her first case being in January 1922 before the treaty was implemented, she was officially the first woman to act as a barrister in the entire United Kingdom, as all of Ireland remained within the United Kingdom until 6 December 1922. In January 1922, Deverell joined the Law Library of the

Four Courts The Four Courts () is Ireland's most prominent courts building, located on Inns Quay in Dublin. The Four Courts is the principal seat of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the High Court and the Dublin Circuit Court. Until 2010 the build ...

, where she was the only woman until the arrival of Mary Dillon-Leetch in June 1923. The Library was heavily damaged during the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War (; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United Kingdom but within the British Emp ...

and was relocated to

Dublin Castle Dublin Castle () is a major Government of Ireland, Irish government complex, conference centre, and tourist attraction. It is located off Dame Street in central Dublin. It is a former motte-and-bailey castle and was chosen for its position at ...

until 1931. As a financial supplement to her work, she bought a

cairn terrier The Cairn Terrier is a terrier breed originating in the Scottish Highlands and recognised as one of Scotland's earliest working dogs. The name "Cairn Terrier" was a compromise suggestion when the breed was brought to official shows in the Unite ...

with her first fee, and went on to set up a kennels, becoming a breeder of the dogs. Deverell was the first woman to appear in the

Supreme Court of Ireland The Supreme Court of Ireland () is the highest judicial authority in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is a court of final appeal and exercises, in conjunction with the Court of Appeal (Ireland), Court of Appeal and the High Court (Ireland), Hig ...

and the Court of Criminal Appeal in Ireland. In 1928, she became the first Irish female barrister to appear before the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 August ...

(JCPC) in London.

References

External links

Poem: In the Four Courts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deverell, Averil 20th-century Irish lawyers 20th-century Irish women Irish people of World War I 1893 births 1979 deaths Alumni of King's Inns 20th-century British women lawyers 20th-century Irish women lawyers

Biography

See also

References

External links