Nemone Lethbridge

Nemone Lethbridge interviewd by Rachel Spearking on 2 February 2018.

Nemone Lethbridge was born in Quetta, Pakistan in 1932 and called to the Bar at Gray's Inn in 1956. She was one of the first women to work at 3 Pump Court Chambers alongside Rose Helibron. She married the playwright and convicted murderer, Jimmy O'Connor in 1959, which led to her expulsion from the chambers the following year. She was invited back to the profession by Louis de Pinna to practise from his Chancery Lane Chambers in 1981.

Rachel Spearing studied Law was called to the Bar in 1999 and was elected a Bencher of the Inn in 2015. Rachel is a Senior Junior with a practice at Serjeants’ Inn which includes Civil, Criminal and Public Law. She maintains a specialist interest with Policing and Intelligence led investigations drawing upon her former experience in prosecution and defence criminal work. She provides advice and appears on behalf of Police in sensitive disclosure matters across a variety of divisions of courts in the UK.

The interview covers Lethbridge's experiences studying and practising law in a male dominated sector, including gender discrimination and societal pressures, her experiences of representing the Kray brothers, marriage to Jimmy O'Connor and expulsion from the chambers and her return to legal practice.

The run time is 40 minutes and 11 seconds.

Catalogue Number: AVR/8/2/7A-B