Irene Antoinette Geffen (née Newmark) was the first female
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters.
The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...
in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
. She was admitted to the bar in the
Transvaal
Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name ''Transvaal''.
* South African Republic (1856–1902; ...
in 1923.
After the
International Council of Women
The International Council of Women (ICW) is a women's organization working across national boundaries for the common cause of advocating women's rights, human rights for women. In March and April 1888, women leaders came together in Washington D.C ...
called in 1925 for national organizations to publish summaries of laws affecting women and children in each country, Geffen published ''The Laws of South Africa affecting Women and Children'' in 1928. It covered nationality law, tax law, and voting rights, among other topics.
Personal life
Irene Geffen lived with her husband Max Geffen in Johannesberg; both were
Lithuanian Jewish
{{Infobox ethnic group
, group = Litvaks
, image =
, caption =
, poptime =
, region1 = {{flag, Lithuania
, pop1 = 2,800
, region2 =
{{flag, South Africa
, pop2 = 6 ...
immigrants. She left practice when her first daughter, Zoe, was born. Her younger daughter, Lady
Felicia Kentridge (b. 1930), was also an attorney and ran the legal clinic at the Law Faculty of the
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The universit ...
.
See also
*
First women lawyers around the world
This is a list of the first women lawyer(s) and judge(s) in each country. It includes the year in which the women were admitted to practice law (in parentheses). Also included are the first women in their country to achieve a certain distinction su ...
References
South African women lawyers
South African people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent
University of the Witwatersrand alumni
20th-century South African lawyers
20th-century South African women lawyers
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