Women's Network blog series: Claire McAleer, Women's Network Chair

Extraordinarily Ordinary 

Already in my short tenure as Chair of the NILS Women’s Network I have had the opportunity to listen to and speak with some extraordinary women leaders, both within the legal profession and externally.

Earlier in the year, I attended a panel discussion in London organised by the ‘Next 100 Years: Women in Law’ project in the Inner Temple. On the panel were three formidable legal women- Dame Siobhan Keegan, first Lady Chief Justice here in NI, Dr Siofra O’Leary, the first female President of the European Court of Human Rights and Baroness Sue (just Sue, not Susan, as she made clear!) Carr, the first Lady Chief Justice in England & Wales.

The first thing that struck me was the genuine connection and camaraderie between the three women. The importance of female solidarity and being a team player was mentioned and this is borne out in the way these three women, who have ascended to roles that no other women have before, have been a source of support and encouragement to each other, which they all referenced frequently.

Throughout the discussion, the importance of the support of other women throughout their lifetimes was mentioned. Sometimes, this support came from what might seem unlikely places with both Siofra and Siobhan speaking of their education with nuns both in the North and South of Ireland. Both women mentioned how the nuns encouraged the girls to aim high and not be constrained by traditional/ gender norms.

All of the women spoke of how their career had not followed a carefully thought out plan. Baroness Carr said it was never a case of being at ‘A’ and thinking ‘right, how do I get to ‘E’?’ but instead following each step as it appeared. Dr O’Leary said she is just an ordinary woman who happened to end up in an extraordinary job.

This reminded me of the event I chaired for the Women’s Network in Law Society house, with our Justice Minster Naomi Long and Dr Esther McGuinness, head of the School of Law at Ulster University. Both ladies also mentioned how their current positions were not long term, planned out goals- like Baroness Carr, each had progressed step by step, with these steps leading them into completely different careers from those they originally entered.

Another recurring theme is confidence. Dr O’Leary said we need to ‘ditch the confidence gap’. She mentioned how she feels women need to stop hiding their cleverness in favour of being seen as ‘nice’. Dr O’Leary also spoke very openly about her ‘vertigo’ once she took the position of Madame La Presidente, which I thought was such an evocative way to phrase that feeling we can have when we are in a place beyond our comfort zone. 

At both events, the panellists spoke with such honesty about their challenges too. Baroness Carr said that we need to be more open about our ‘disappointments’, which is her preferred term for failure. Both Dame Keegan and Dr O’Leary agreed. When we are open about our disappointments, we gain support of those around us but, in addition, we remove the burden of ‘the show reel’ from other women looking on. Knowing that we all fail, but we learn and move forward helps others to feel more comfortable with trying. Dame Keegan was firm in her advocation for trying again, and quoted Seamus Heaney- ‘Even if the last move did not succeed, the inner command says move again’. 

This honesty from these women is, in my opinion, truly powerful. Admitting to challenges is not weakness- quite the opposite. At both events, I experienced how the honesty shared by the panellists translated to the women in attendance, as I had the privilege of having some truly open, honest and vulnerable conversations with women I had never met before. I always leave these events feeling supported by an invisible web of support woven by all the women with whom I connect, however briefly.

This is the beauty and importance of a Women’s Network. No matter the level that we are at, there are common threads connecting, and supporting, us all.