The Australian Women's Register

Nerida Goodman (nee Cohen) entered the University of Sydney at the age of 15, an outstanding scholar and violinist; she resided at the Women’s College while studying Arts and Law. In the final years of her degree she was articled to Pigott Stinson Macgregor & Palmer. Following her admission on 26 July 1935, she became the second woman, and first Jewish woman, to practise at the New South Wales Bar. Her practice reflected her dedication to advancing women’s rights in the domestic and industrial settings. With mentor Jessie Street, she campaigned for equal pay for women; another preoccupation was divorce law reform. During the Second World War, she left the Bar to work with the Women’s Employment Board and later with the New South Wales Department of Labour and Industry. In 1943 she chaired the newly-established Council for Women in War Network. Marrying Bernard Goodman in 1946, she shortly afterwards ceased to practise at the Bar. Goodman was the inaugural president of the Women Lawyers’ Association of New South Wales in 1952 and the first woman to serve on the NSW Board of Jewish Education. She also served on the provisional executive of the Liberal Party when it was formed and in 1948 became vice-president of the Party’s Darlinghurst branch. An MBE granted in 1980 recognised her service to women’s affairs and the Jewish community.