For citation:
Varfolomeev Y. V. Admission of women to the bar in late imperial Russia: The Saratov precedent. Journal Izvestiya of Saratov University. Economics. Management. Law, 2026, vol. 26, iss. 2, pp. 184-188. DOI: 10.18500/1994-2540-2026-26-2-184-188, EDN: MKODEK
Admission of women to the bar in late imperial Russia: The Saratov precedent
Introduction. The article is devoted to the study of one of the relevant socio-legal problems of the Russian Empire in the early 20th century – the issue of admitting women to the bar. The article examines in detail the political and legal conflicts and gaps in the legislation of that time regarding the admission of women to the class of sworn attorneys. Theoretical analysis. The judicial reform of 1864 introduced the sworn bar into the Russian legal system. The author analyzes the key legislative acts regulating the admission of women to the legal profession, starting with the Decree of 1871 and ending with the explanations of the Governing Senate, which created a contradictory situation for several years: on the one hand, women received higher legal education and passed state exams, but, on the other hand, they faced systematic restrictions on joining the bar. Empirical analysis. The study focuses on the “Saratov precedent” of 1911, which involved the attempt to enroll I. G. Pshenichnaya as an assistant to a barrister, as well as similar cases in Moscow and Kazan. Based on the analysis of archival materials and publications in prerevolutionary legal journals (Pravo and Zhurnal Ministerstva Yustitsii), the paper explores the heated debates within the judicial system and the legal community, as well as the complex role of the Judicial Chambers and the Senate in shaping legal practice. Results. The author concludes that the main reason for the protracted nature of the “Women’s Question” in the legal profession was the imperfection and inconsistency of the Russian legislation. The absence of a direct prohibition in the “Rules...” of 1874 was combined with a restrictive interpretation of earlier acts (the Decree of 1871) and the Senate’s subordinate clarifications, which created a fertile ground for endless disputes and precedents.
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