Legally Blonde turns 25: Meet the lawyers inspired by Reese Witherspoon's Elle Woods

It has been 25 years since Elle Woods stomped her 'last season Prada shoes' across UK screens in Legally Blonde.

The film, which was released 25 years ago today, sees Woods played by Reese Witherspoon, enrol in Harvard Law School after her boyfriend dumps her for not being serious enough. The film went on to inspire generations of would-be lawyers and solicitors.

A quarter of a century later, women now outnumber men in the legal industry. And while "the Legally Blonde effect" may not be the sole reason for the boost, lawyers say it has not hurt the cause.

"It definitely inspired the kind of lawyer I wanted to be," trainee solicitor Olivia Holder said.

Olivia, who works for Manchester-based Express Solicitors, said she believes people's access to justice can improve when solicitors are free to be themselves.

"I love to wear pink, I've got a pink sparkly car and I didn't have to give up any of that to be taken seriously in the legal profession," she said.

And in the same way Elle uses her knowledge of perm aftercare to prove her client's innocence, Olivia believes her interests helps her advocate for her clients.

"Sometimes we're dealing with clients who have scarring and they say things like, 'Oh, it might sound silly, but I'm concerned about the way I look,' and I say 'No, it doesn't sound silly at all.' I can empathise with that," the 24-year-old from Macclesfield said.

According to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, in 2001, the year Legally Blonde was released, 43% of solicitors in England and Wales were women. As of last year, women made up 63% of solicitors the Law Society found.

However, Deputy Vice President of the society Dana Denis-Smith, said many women still feel like they do not belong.

"My whole legal career tracks Legally Blonde because I started my legal education 25 years ago, about three months after it came out," the 51-year-old from Transylvania said.

"Previous to this film, a lot of the women in law portrayed in film were very hard women. They had to play hardball."

Dana said women have only been able practice law since around 1922. And when the first generation entered the profession they faced ridicule and questions around what they would wear and how they would behave, as well as discrimination around the types of work they could do.

"It was about what was considered suitable for a woman," she said.

"Legally Blonde broke with that tradition of 'you can't be feminine and successful'. I think it was a very pivotal moment for women.

"Before you would hide away your children and not talk about your family life. There was a sense that you had to really separate your professional identity," she added.

Solicitor Lois Ellard, said she appreciates the way the film challenges the stereotype that people who care about their appearance cannot do a difficult job.

"Elle is obviously perceived as this bimbo sort of girl. And then she goes to Harvard and I just think it's amazing," the 28-year-old from Pontefract in West Yorkshire said.

"I get my lashes done, I get my brows done, I get my hair done, I tan, I bleach my teeth, I have lip filler. All things some people think don't go hand-in-hand with being a solicitor. But here I am.

"One of my favourite things is when I'm on a night out and people try to guess what I do and nobody ever guesses solicitor.

"I just think the look on people's faces and I'm like, 'Yeah, I'm a solicitor, why wouldn't you think that?'I love that," Lois who works for Manchester-based Express Solicitors said.

While Lamya Al Saqqaf, a trainee solicitor at MSB solicitors in Liverpool, said she is inspired by the way that Elle uses the fact that she is constantly underestimated as a source of motivation.

"When you put your mind to something, you can see it through and I think the movie is a perfect example of that for many women," she said.

However, she said fans cannot ignore that if the character were from a black, Asian and minority ethnic background she may not be able to access law school so easily.

In England and Wales 75% of solicitors are white, Asian/Asian British solicitors make up 13% of the industry and Black/Black British solicitors make up just 3%, according to the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

"We don't all have the same accessibility as counterparts from white backgrounds," the 27-year-old who was born and lived in Yemen for 11 years said.

She said research by the SRA also found that white students are almost twice as likely to be sponsored by a law firm through law school than Asian and black students.

"So if they were to remake the film, seeing those issues integrated into one character would be a better representation," she said.

The gender split in the legal industry is also reflected at the University of Manchester, where female law students outnumber males 62%-38%.

Dihasya Wijewickreme Perera is in her third year studying law at the university. The 20-year-old also cheerleads for the school and said she loves that Elle kept up her hobbies after she started at Harvard.

"She's really true to herself and her interests. She does her Bachelors in fashion merchandising and that's a huge passion she carries through law school and her legal career," Dihasya said.

She said the relationship Elle has with her friends is also reflected in her female-heavy cohort at university.

"She's super positive, she has her sisterhood and her sorority, and they're all rooting for her. I think that's really lovely."

And while things have improved for women in the legal industry since 2001, experts say there is still more to be done.

Men still outnumber women in Partner positions 57%-40%, according to the SRA.

And In 2024, six in 10 female solicitors who left the role were under 55, compared to just three in 10 male solicitors of the same age.

And Dana Denis-Smith believes seeing successful, older lawyers reflected in films could help address the issues behind the statistics.

"We haven't yet seen a senior partner being depicted on film. We've always had more junior lawyer being represented," she said.

"So maybe we need that kind of more powerful, more influential voice as well to be visible as a player in the profession."

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