Her application was refused, although no law or regulation explicitly prevented the admission of women to the bar. Her appeals to the court of appeal in December 1888 and, in November 1889, to the Court of Cassation were unsuccessful, but widely reported in the Belgian and foreign press.
Her attempt to join the bar was denied, even though there was no specific law or regulation preventing women from doing so. Her attempts to appeal this decision to higher courts in December 1888 and November 1889 were unsuccessful but were widely reported in Belgian and foreign press.