Credit: Edinburgh Law School

Born and brought up in Glasgow, she is a bencher of Gray’s Inn, an honorary writer to the Signet and the recipient of 42 honorary degrees and fellowships from many universities including those of St Andrews, Glasgow, London and Edinburgh in recognition of her groundbreaking work on women and the law and on widening participation in higher education. 

She has also been honoured by the governments of France and Italy for her considerable work on women’s rights and education. She was created a life peer in 1997 and has been a strong advocate for social justice and the rule of law in the House of Lords. 

In March 2024, she was appointed to The Order of the Thistle, the greatest order of chivalry in Scotland in recognition of the importance of her public service, pioneering work in advancing human rights and social justice, both domestically and internationally.

The Ruth Adler lecture series was inaugurated in 2008 at Edinburgh Law School in memory of former tutor, PhD student and human rights activist Ruth Adler. Her work was fundamental in instituting women’s rights and children’s rights in Scotland, establishing multiple organisations in both of these areas.

Register here