Herma Hill Kay Livres

Ruth Bader Ginsburg's name is synonymous with breaking barriers for women in the workplace, but as she notes in the foreword, many pioneering figures remain unknown. Herma Hill Kay, former Dean of UC Berkeley School of Law and Ginsburg's close colleague, authored this book to share the stories of the first fourteen female law professors at ABA- and AALS-accredited law schools in the U.S. As the fifteenth professor, Kay meticulously gathered first-hand accounts from these women to create an essential history for the over 2,000 women law professors today and their feminist allies. The narratives are rich with personal details and framed within the challenging historical context of their times. This work is not merely a collection of individual stories; it interweaves the evolution of law and society during an era when women's voices were often silenced. The concluding chapter links these pioneering women to the 'second wave' of female law professors who secured tenure-track positions in the 1960s and 1970s, continuing the fight for equality. This project embodies a feminist vision that Ginsburg championed throughout her life.