YORK'S top judge has paid tribute to the woman barrister who proved that femininity was no bar to success in a man's world.
Fiona Dix-Dyer, 45, died on Sunday after a brave fight against leukaemia. Called to the Bar in 1986 when all but a handful of barristers were men, she rapidly built up a busy practice in criminal law and also sat as a recorder, or part-time judge. She often appeared at York Crown Court.
"She demonstrated that femininity and professionalism are not incompatible, and indeed in her case they were handmaidens," the Recorder of York, Judge Paul Hoffman, said at York Crown Court to a courtroom full of barristers, court staff and others who knew the Leeds-based barrister.
About her untimely death, he added: "It is very sad, very cruel, it is very tragic and it is just plain unfair."
The senior barrister present, Helen Hendry, said: "She brought to the Bar glamour, style and panache." Miss Dix-Dyer also helped other women joining the profession to build up their own practices.
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