As 2024 draws to a close, I’ve been reflecting again on the remarkable life of Ethel Houston, one of Scotland’s great legal pioneers (not that she would have called herself that!).
This year marked the 75th anniversary of Ethel becoming the first female partner in a Scottish legal firm (at Balfour+Manson), while 2024 would also have been her 100th birthday.
Ethel died in November 2017, aged 93, and I spoke then at a memorial service to celebrate her life and legacy. Last month, a smaller group came together to mark the double anniversary of her ground-breaking partnership and 100th birthday – fittingly, in Ethel’s old office, what is now our boardroom in Frederick Street, Edinburgh.
Susan Murray, President, Law Society of Scotland; Marjorie Barrow, Ethel Houston’s goddaughter and cousin; Elaine Motion, Partner, Balfour+Manson
It was wonderful to have a video message from Ethel’s brother Jim, aged 102. From his home in Canada, he described her as “a special person who accomplished remarkable things”.
Eight members of Ethel’s family shared stories with guests at the event. Marjorie Barrow, Ethel’s cousin and god-daughter, described her as “impossible but fabulous” and deployed many other adjectives that former colleagues will recognise well – formidable, irrepressible, challenging. But Marjorie also said ‘Aunt Ethel’ was “warm and kind with hidden depths, a wonderful person who taught us an awful lot, especially determination and curiosity”.
Ethel truly was an extraordinary woman: a Bletchley Park worker in the Second World War; an OBE; a member of the Royal Commission on Legal Services for Scotland, and Commission for Racial Equality. She was also highly eccentric (especially in her dress sense and her driving) and definitely not a feminist.
She had a generous and humble spirit, and a humanity which allowed her to relate to people from all walks of life. Her clients were from every background and extremely loyal to her.
In today’s world, she would be seen as a natural marketer, who was brilliant at finding new angles, and getting things done.
Although she would have rejected the word, she truly was a pioneer and a driver of an ethos of equal opportunity at Balfour+Manson.
The ethos sown back in 1949 with Ethel’s appointment as partner has blossomed and grown and is still held very dear. For many years, Balfour+Mansonhas had almost an equal number of male and female partners and on occasions, there have been more females than males. Today, it is an equal number.
The message sent on that day in 1949 to women in the legal profession cannot be understated and has resonated through the years. From a personal point of view, I thank Ethel for making my career path wider and smoother, and I’m certain many others would echo that sentiment.
Ethel was also one of the first two women to become members of the Law Society of Scotland Council (with Margaret Hall) in 1975 – so the coming year marks the 50th anniversary of yet another milestone in a remarkable life.
Ethel was made an honorary lifetime member of the Law Society of Scotland in 2009, and the Society’s President Susan Murray paid tribute at last month’s event.
She noted that in 1949, there were around 3,000 Scottish solicitors and only about 3% were women. Now, she said, about 60% of the profession are female, and concluded: “We owe a huge debt to Ethel Houston and others like her who challenged the norms in a very different time to our own, and helped us create the dynamic profession we have today.” Amen to that.
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Reflecting on the remarkable life of Ethel Houston
This year marked the 75th anniversary of Ethel becoming the first female partner in a Scottish legal firm (at Balfour+Manson), while 2024 would also have been her 100th birthday.
Ethel died in November 2017, aged 93, and I spoke then at a memorial service to celebrate her life and legacy. Last month, a smaller group came together to mark the double anniversary of her ground-breaking partnership and 100th birthday – fittingly, in Ethel’s old office, what is now our boardroom in Frederick Street, Edinburgh.
It was wonderful to have a video message from Ethel’s brother Jim, aged 102. From his home in Canada, he described her as “a special person who accomplished remarkable things”.
Eight members of Ethel’s family shared stories with guests at the event. Marjorie Barrow, Ethel’s cousin and god-daughter, described her as “impossible but fabulous” and deployed many other adjectives that former colleagues will recognise well – formidable, irrepressible, challenging. But Marjorie also said ‘Aunt Ethel’ was “warm and kind with hidden depths, a wonderful person who taught us an awful lot, especially determination and curiosity”.
Ethel truly was an extraordinary woman: a Bletchley Park worker in the Second World War; an OBE; a member of the Royal Commission on Legal Services for Scotland, and Commission for Racial Equality. She was also highly eccentric (especially in her dress sense and her driving) and definitely not a feminist.
She had a generous and humble spirit, and a humanity which allowed her to relate to people from all walks of life. Her clients were from every background and extremely loyal to her.
In today’s world, she would be seen as a natural marketer, who was brilliant at finding new angles, and getting things done.
Although she would have rejected the word, she truly was a pioneer and a driver of an ethos of equal opportunity at Balfour+Manson.
The ethos sown back in 1949 with Ethel’s appointment as partner has blossomed and grown and is still held very dear. For many years, Balfour+Mansonhas had almost an equal number of male and female partners and on occasions, there have been more females than males. Today, it is an equal number.
The message sent on that day in 1949 to women in the legal profession cannot be understated and has resonated through the years. From a personal point of view, I thank Ethel for making my career path wider and smoother, and I’m certain many others would echo that sentiment.
Ethel was also one of the first two women to become members of the Law Society of Scotland Council (with Margaret Hall) in 1975 – so the coming year marks the 50th anniversary of yet another milestone in a remarkable life.
Ethel was made an honorary lifetime member of the Law Society of Scotland in 2009, and the Society’s President Susan Murray paid tribute at last month’s event.
She noted that in 1949, there were around 3,000 Scottish solicitors and only about 3% were women. Now, she said, about 60% of the profession are female, and concluded: “We owe a huge debt to Ethel Houston and others like her who challenged the norms in a very different time to our own, and helped us create the dynamic profession we have today.” Amen to that.