Inspiring speakers at this year’s SYLA Women in Law event

Tuesday 21 March 2017

6:00pm-9:00pm

The Principal, Edinburgh

The Scottish Young Lawyers’ Association (SYLA) is delighted to invite you to our Women in Law event. Our annual event brings together a number of high profile and inspiring women from the Scottish legal community to share their personal experiences and address our members on issues such as women’s rights in the UK and international context, women in the judiciary and boardroom, and whether the glass ceiling remains an issue for female lawyers in the 21st Century.

This year’s panel includes:

Dr Olivia Giles OBE – founder of 500 Miles - Olivia graduated in 1987 with a law degree from the University of Glasgow. In 2002 she was working as a commercial property partner at Maclay, Murray and Spens LLP when she caught meningococcal septicaemia, the blood poisoning form of meningitis. As a result of which both of her lower legs and both of her lower arms had to be amputated to save her life. In 2007 she founded the charity 500 miles to support amputees in developing countries. Olivia was awarded an OBE in 2010 and The Robert Burns Humanitarian Award in 2015 for her charitable work.

Angela Grahame QC, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Advocates – Angela was appointed the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Advocates in 2016, the second woman to hold this position in the history of the Faculty. Angela called to the Bar in 1995 and took silk in 2009. She was appointed as a full-time advocate depute in 2003 and promoted to senior advocate depute in 2005. Angela has extensive experience in many challenging and high-profile cases, she was lead counsel for Greater Glasgow Health Board in the Vale of Leven Public Inquiry and for the Lord Advocate in the Fingerprint Inquiry.

Philippa Greer, associate legal officer at the United Nations in East Africa – Philippa obtained her law degree and the Diploma in Legal Practice from the University of Edinburgh in 2011 and 2012 respectively. She was awarded a Kennedy Memorial Trust Award in 2013 and attained an LL.M from Harvard Law School in 2014. She has pursued work on death penalty defence and access to justice issues in various countries. She is an admitted attorney in New York, and worked as the USA coordinator and legal fellow of Reprieve, an international NGO. She also served as a law clerk to the Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa before taking up her current post.

The event will be held on Tuesday, 21 March 2017 at The Principal Edinburgh (formerly The George) 19-21 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2PB.

Registration will be from 6pm with speakers commencing at 6.30pm until 8pm. A drinks reception with canapés will follow.

Tickets are priced at £5 and all funds raised will be donated directly to Scottish Women’s Aid.

Sign up here.

Please note, this is not an event exclusively for females, we would love to have some males along to add to the conversation!