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Lady Hale
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Spider Woman: A Life – by the former President of the Supreme Court Kindle Edition

by Lady Hale (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 447 ratings
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Lady Hale is an inspirational figure admired for her historic achievements and for the causes she has championed. Spider Woman is her story.

As 'a little girl from a little school in a little village in North Yorkshire', she only went into the law because her headteacher told her she wasn't clever enough to study history. She became the most senior judge in the country but it was an unconventional path to the top.

How does a self-professed 'girly swot' get ahead in a profession dominated by men? Was it a surprise that the perspectives of women and other disadvantaged groups had been overlooked, or that children's interests were marginalised? A lifelong smasher of glass-ceilings, who took as her motto 'women are equal to everything', her landmark rulings in areas including domestic violence, divorce, mental health and equality were her attempt to correct that.

As President of the Supreme Court, Lady Hale won global attention in finding the 2019 prorogation of Parliament to be unlawful. Yet that dramatic moment was merely the pinnacle of a career throughout which she was hailed as a pioneering reformer.

Wise, warm and inspiring, Spider Woman shows how the law shapes our world and supports us in crisis. It is the story of how Lady Hale found that she could overcome the odds, which shows that anyone from similar beginnings will find that they can cope too.

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  1. Print length
    266 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Vintage Digital
  5. Publication date
    October 7, 2021
  6. File size
    15572 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Brenda Hale is a superhero who embodies Parker's law that great power brings equivalent responsibility. Her wise, accessible memoir is essential, entertaining and inspirational reading for all lovers of freedom, equality and justice - Shami Chakrabarti

What a life, what a story... Spider Woman is restrained, warm, dryly funny ... and an inspiration to all women to aim high... Whatever her title, Brenda Hale rocks - Melanie Reid, The Times 3 Inspirational and iconic - Philippe Sands

A feminist icon... Her success story is an inspiration for men and women both - showing that law matters - Baroness Helena Kennedy QC

This book is not only essential reading for anyone who is in the Law or interested in the Law but it is also a fascinating personal story - Cherie Blair

A compelling account of a path-breaking and inspirational career by one of the most influential lawyers and judges of our times - David Pannick QC

Brenda Hale's story is extraordinary. She has been a pioneer as a woman... Spider woman and agent of change - Harriet Harman

Lady Hale takes us on the journey from 'girly swot' to 'Spider Woman' and along the way teaches us about the importance of the rule of law and protecting human rights... with humanity, humour and deep insight - Minouche Shafik

This is an extraordinary and essential journey through the law by the most inspiring of figures - Nazir Afzal

Fluently written... Her accounts of her more groundbreaking cases are fascinating... [Spider Woman is] quietly thrilling - Rachel Cooke, Observer

Eye-opening... I would highly recommend the work to law students, the newly qualified and those with a sociolegal interest in the treatment of women within the law and the profession - Nick Clapham, Law Society's Gazette

A wonderful story... A wonderful read. A wonderful woman - Alec Samuels, New Law Journal

A fascinating memoir weaving together personal and professional reflections - Alex Dean, Prospect

Baroness Hale's autobiography, Spider Woman, is a reminder of the huge but incomplete progress made by women in public life over the past 60 years... The willingness to talk truth to power that she has shown is needed now more than ever - Rachel Reeves, New Statesman, *Books of the Year*

About the Author

Brenda Hale, Rt Hon Baroness Hale of Richmond DBE, was born in Yorkshire and studied Law at Girton College, Cambridge. She was called to the Bar in 1969 and spent almost twenty years in academia alongside working as a part-time barrister. Lady Hale became a judge in the Family Division of the High Court of Justice in 1994 and in 2004 was made the United Kingdom's first woman Lord of Appeal in Ordinary. She was appointed Deputy President of the Supreme Court in 2013, and ultimately served as President from 2017 to 2020.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B097JMBNT5
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage Digital (October 7, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 7, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 15572 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 266 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 447 ratings

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Lady Hale

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
447 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

There are 0 reviews and 6 ratings from the United States

Top reviews from other countries

Book reader
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 2, 2023
Verified Purchase
Fascinating, frightening, informative and fun. This book is essential reading for anyone thinking about reading law and informative for the rest of us.
One person found this helpful
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Stephen Parker
2.0 out of 5 stars Good service - poor book
Reviewed in France on November 4, 2021
Verified Purchase
Very disappointing book. Sketchy and trivial. Very little discussion of, or justification for, her decisions, or those of the justices she worked with. More like Mrs Dale's Diary, really. (The latter comment is intended as a cutting criticism, but I suspect "Spiderwoman" would take it as a compliment!).
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Khandallah
2.0 out of 5 stars Not particularly informative or inspirational
Reviewed in Germany on November 2, 2021
Verified Purchase
The book (writer) gives no sense of the author (of herself). The content consists of a recitation of facts; with quite a lot of 'spin' in the author's favour. I had expected that Hale with her depth and breadth of experience would write a book that inspires, informs and gives lots of food for thought. In the end it was a very dry read; with the occasional bright patch esp. in the chapter on the Family Division of the High Court. In some ways I think the book was a vanity project. The writing is often quite hackneyed: QC Rose is a "frank and fearless feminist"; Hale of herself "I was dubbed Beyoncé of the legal world!"; the author, again, of herself "[I puzzled] even the classical scholars amongst my fellow judges by reciting the Girton grace, which uses the feminine forms of .....". The book might appeal to readers who are interested in the "politics" of judicial appointments in England. Apart from that the author is not really "present" in the book; I had no sense of the person and her experiences, battles and triumphs in the legal system.
One person found this helpful
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Luci
4.0 out of 5 stars An inspirational story!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 2, 2022
Verified Purchase
I studied law at university and read a lot of judgments written by Lady Hale which was the reason I wanted to buy this book. Lady Hale’s story is inspirational as she started of in a very male dominated legal world. Everyone interested in law should read this! I did think some of the parts of the book went into too much detail about her personal life especially the first chapters of the book where she goes into detail about her time at school and university. I did defiantly want to read about how she started and chose to go into law but there was just a bit too much more mundane details in parts. However, I really enjoyed the parts where Lady Hale discuses some of the legal cases she worked on. I would love it if she wrote a book about some of the key legal cases in history that have made a real impact as well as key legislation.
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening and easy to read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 23, 2022
Verified Purchase
For anyone with an interest in how the law works, especially in the higher courts, and in how law is made, this is an interesting read. It’s also a good counter to the perception that senior justices are from some rare elite (spoiler - her parents were teachers) and have no idea of the lives of ‘ordinary’ people.
Also a fascinating story of the career, almost accidental in places, of an inspiring woman.
3 people found this helpful
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