Hazel Josephine Cosgrove, Lady Cosgrove, KC CBE (née Aronson; born 12 January 1946), is a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

lawyer and judge who served as a

Senator of the College of Justice The senators of the College of Justice are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of senator: Lords of Session (judges of the Court of Session); ...

from 1996 to 2006. She was the first woman appointed to the College of Justice. Born and raised in Glasgow, Cosgrove graduated law at the University of Glasgow, becoming the first in her family to attend university. Admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1968, she served as Standing Junior Counsel to the

Department of Trade Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

from 1977 to 1979 and became the first woman to serve as a

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judge of Glasgow and Strathkelvin in 1979. She was a member of the Parole Board for Scotland from 1988 to 1991. In 1991, she was appointed to the Queen's Counsel. Cosgrove went on to serve as a

of Lothian and Borders at Edinburgh from 1983 to 1996. From 1992 to 1996, she was a temporary judge in the High Court of Justiciary and

Court of Session The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland and constitutes part of the College of Justice; the supreme criminal court of Scotland is the High Court of Justiciary. The Court of Session sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh ...

. In 1996, a vacancy was made in the College of Justice and Cosgrove was nominated by Prime Minister

John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament ...

to be appointed a

. She was appointed on 12 July 1996, becoming the first female to be appointed a Senator. She used the judicial title, Lady Cosgrove. As a Senator, Cosgrove was one of seven judges who rewrote the rape law in Scotland in 2002. She was Deputy Chairman of the Boundary Commission for Scotland from 1997 to 2006. In 2003, she was the first woman to be appointed to the

Inner House of the Court of Session The Inner House is the senior part of the Court of Session, the supreme civil court in Scotland; the Outer House forms the junior part of the Court of Session. It is a court of appeal and a court of first instance. The chief justice is the ...

. Cosgrove retired as judge in 2006. Cosgrove received an CBE to her services the criminal justice system in Scotland. Having once been told "the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

is no place for a woman", she broke the ' glass ceiling' in Scotland's legal profession and has always encouraged other women to follow in her footsteps, advocating equality for women through her own achievements.

Early life

Hazel Josephine Aronson was born on 2 January 1946 in Glasgow, the daughter of Moses Aron Aronson and Julia Tobias. She is of Jewish origin and her grandparents were from the Pale of Settlement of the Russian Empire. She was educated at Glasgow High School for Girls. Cosgrove studied at the School of Law of the University of Glasgow, graduating LL.B. in 1966, the first in her family to attend university.

Legal career

In 1968, Cosgrove was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates. When she revealed to other members of the legal profession, which was dominantly male, she wanted to become an

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...

, she was told "the

is no place for a woman". She used her maiden name, Aronson, until 1996 after the judiciary preferred for her to use her maiden name, however, she thought otherwise. Cosgrove served as Standing Junior Counsel to the

from 1977 to 1979, and took silk to become a Queen's Counsel in 1991. She was the first woman to serve as a

of Glasgow and Strathkelvin from 1979 to 1983 and of Lothian and Borders at Edinburgh from 1983 to 1996. She was a member of the Parole Board for Scotland from 1988 to 1991, Chairman of the Mental Welfare Commission from 1991 to 1996, and Chairman of the Expert Panel on Sex Offending from 1997 to 2001.

Senator of the College of Justice

Appointment

In 1992, Cosgrove served as a temporary judge for the

and High Court. After a vacancy was held in 1996, she was nominated by Prime Minister

to be appointed as a

. She was appointed on 12 July 1996, becoming the first woman to be appointed as a judge in College of Justice. She used the judicial title, Lady Cosgrove.

Tenure

In February 2003, Lady Cosgrove was appointed to the Inner House of the

and sworn of Her Majesty's

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

. She received a CBE in 2004 for services to the criminal justice system in Scotland, and has also been awarded honorary degrees from a number of institutions. Lady Cosgrove retired as a Senator of the College of Justice on 24 March 2006 shortly after her 60th birthday, however she still sits on the bench occasionally when there is a shortage of judges.

Personal life

Cosgrove now lives in London with her husband John Cosgrove, a dental surgeon. They have two children: a son and a daughter. She has a younger sister Danielle who is a solicitor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cosgrove, Hazel Cosgrove, Lady 1946 births People educated at the High School of Glasgow Alumni of the University of Glasgow Cosgrove Scottish Jews Living people Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Members of the Faculty of Advocates Scottish women judges Commanders of the Order of the British Empire