Netty Probst

Netty Probst (1903-1990), was a Luxembourgian lawyer. She was the first female lawyer in Luxembourg.

She was the daughter of the lawyer and social democrat Jean-Pierre Probst, and graduated in law at the university. When she was to pass the qualifications as a lawyer in 1927, she was initially refused because of her gender. After protests from her male colleagues, however, she was allowed to pass, which is regarded as a great victory in the history of gender equality in Luxembourg. As a lawyer, she often defended females and handled divorce cases. In 1939, she proved that the common practice to fire a female teacher after marriage was illegal.

References

• Jeanne Rouff, « Un office essentiellement viril » : Les premières femmes au barreau de Luxembourg, in : Goetzinger / Lorang / Wagener, Wenn nun wir Frauen auch das Wort ergreifen, p. 209ff.
• Renée Wagener, Bye bye, Siegfried. Der lange Abschied der Luxemburger Frauen vom Patriarchat, in: « Not the girl you’re looking for. Melusina Rediscovered », Luxembourg 2010, p. 230f.