Mary Hall: The Story of Connecticut’s First Woman Attorney

Resolved, that the women of this nation in 1876, have greater cause for discontent, rebellion and revolution than the men of 1776.  ~Susan B. Anthony

In July of 1877, Mary Hall began her legal studies.

In October of 1882, Mary Hall became the first woman lawyer in Connecticut.

Historian and New London Attorney, Matthew Berger details how Ms. Hall became a lawyer, In Re Hall – the first judicial decision in the United States permitting a woman to practice law, and Ms. Hall’s legal career in Mary Hall: The Decision and the Lawyer.

Attorney Berger’s article notes that in 1897, Hall received a letter from Susan B. Anthony stating that she had “long known you and watched your course with great interest.”

With only one woman on the Supreme Court, it seems that Ms. Hall’s  cause to “undo things that weren’t right” is still a fight that needs to be fought.

Ryan McKeen is a trial attorney at Connecticut Trial Firm, LLC in Glastonbury, Connecticut. In 2016, he was honored by the CT Personal Injury Hall of Fame for securing one of the highest settlements in the state. He is a New Leader in the Law. ABA 100. Avvo 10. 40 under 40 for Hartford Business Journal. He has been quoted in Time Magazine, the New York Times, Hartford Courant, Wall Street Journal Law Blog and the Hartford Business Journal. He focuses his practice on Connecticut Personal Injury law. He loves what he does. Contact him ryan@cttrialfirm.com or 860 471 8333

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