Sunday 9 November 2025 is a remarkable milestone in Queensland’s legal history—the 120th anniversary of women being granted the right permitted to practise law. The following speech was delivered by the Legal Services Commissioner during the presentation of the Agnes McWhinney Award at the Queensland Law Society (QLS) Excellence Awards in August 2025.It is, as always, a pleasure to be here to be able to celebrate with you, the many wonderfully inspiring members of our profession - as it is evenings like these that reminds us of the good in people, the trials and tribulations they face, and their successes and triumphs, despite adversity.On the 9th of November 120 years ago, the Legal Practitioners Act 1905 was enacted in Queensland.Section 2 of that Act was titled “Women may be admitted and practise”—it provided that:In like manner and subject to the same conditions as in the case of a man, a woman shall be entitled to admission as a barrister, solicitor, or conveyancer, as the case may be, and shall be entitled to practise as a barrister, solicitor, or conveyancer, as the case may be.Section 5 assured us that “Women may be articled”. And said that “A solicitor may employ a woman under articles in the same manner as he may employ a man.”The Legal Practitioners Act did not open the floodgates. It took another 10 years and a war in Europe to see Agnes McWhinney admitted as Queensland’s first solicitor in 1915.You can imagine the stir this caused—with the newspaper of the day reporting of Agnes’ admission with the headline "Lady Solicitor—First in Queensland—Admitted this morning."The article spoke of her attendance at the admission, and so relevantly felt compelled to point out that Ms McWhinney was a most attractive young lady. The article just as importantly concluded with the observation that she wore a "white lingerie frock"—obviously meaning something different back then—and "a white chiffon hat, encircled with small French flowers."I am sure that you are all, as am I, so very pleased that this significant milestone in Queensland’s legal profession recorded what they thought of Ms McWhinney and what she was wearing.There were still only 7 women in total who had been admitted up to the mid-1940s. The first time there were more women than men admitted was in the year 2000, when there were 305 women and 286 men admitted that year. In 2005, women represented 37% of Queensland’s solicitors. Then QLS President, Rob Davis, noted in his column in Proctor in November 2005, progress in those first 100 years was “painfully—even embarrassingly—slow.”Thankfully, in the 20 years since that centenary celebration, the progress has been much better, and 120 years after being permitted to practise law, women now represent the majority of law graduates, the majority of newly admitted lawyers, and the majority of the practising profession in Queensland.We only have to look to our Attorney-General, our Chief Justice, the President of the Court of Appeal, the President of QCAT, the President of the Land Court, the Chief Magistrate, the Legal Services Commissioner, the President of QLS, the President of the Bar Association of Queensland, the Dean of the Griffith University Law School— I could—and probably should go on...We are present and we are here to stay.And while we can acknowledge that we have come a very long way, disparity remains in the profession. It is for that reasons that equity awards—such as those recognised this evening and the individuals honoured for continuing to make a positive difference in their respective spheres—remain important.So, having been charged with the responsibility of the QLS celebrations of 100 years of women in law back in 2005, I considered it immensely appropriate for the Society to inaugurate the Agnes McWhinney Award for the solicitors' branch of the profession. Agnes broke significant barriers in a male-dominated profession, paving the way for future generations of women in Queensland’s legal profession. Just like today, the Agnes McWhinney Award recognises a female lawyer that has forged new pathways for themselves, their peers and those they serve—through a commitment to excellence, equity, professionalism and service to the community.
