The first woman in U.S. history to become a lawyer was an Iowan named Arabella Mansfield. She had to sue the State Bar of Iowa in order to sit for its bar exam – a privilege that had been exclusively reserved for males. Born in 1844, Ms. Mansfield passed the bar exam and was admitted to the Iowa Bar in 1869. Though the law had always been the province of men, women began to study and teach the law during Ms. Mansfield’s era because so many men were called off to fight in the Civil War.
Nearly 150 years later, another female is poised to shatter barriers within the practice of law. A 15-year old girl from Ohio named Danya Hamad is reportedly on track to become the youngest lawyer currently practicing in the United States. Ms. Hamad has modest goals. In her own words, “My goal is to become the youngest lawyer in America and from there I want to change the world.”
Interestingly, the state that was determined to have the most fairness and reasonableness in its litigation climate nearly has the fewest number of lawyers per capita of any state. Only Arizona and South Carolina have fewer attorneys per capita than South Dakota, which boasts just 22.2 lawyers for every 10,000 residents. In case you’re wondering, the District of Columbia has the highest number of lawyers per capita. In fact, Washington, D.C. has 788.1 lawyers per 10,000 residents.
There are a surprising number of celebrities who attended law school. Among them are John Cleese (Monty Python), Geraldo Rivera, Ben Stein, Gerard Butler, Jerry Springer, Ozzie Nelson (Ozzie & Harriet), Jeff Cohen (Goonies), and John Saviano (The Wonder Years). Imagine having your closing argument delivered by Geraldo and Jerry Springer!