Cardiff & District Law Society has appointed Emma Waddingham, Founder and Editor of Legal News Wales, as its 140th President — the first non-lawyer and ninth female leader in the Society’s 140-year history.
Emma succeeds immediate past president Trish D’Souza, whose outstanding service, vision and dedication have significantly strengthened the Society and the profession across the capital.
Emma paid tribute to Trish’s leadership, particularly her work in championing access to justice and supporting the profession through initiatives including:
- the Pro Bono Champions Scheme,
- the Employed Advocates Network, and
- the creation of pioneering intersectional diversity events, which have evolved and enriched the Society’s already vibrant and impactful EDI calendar.
Emma also congratulated Julia Reynolds, Partner at Leigh Day, on her appointment as Vice President for the year ahead, and welcomed Gemma Barnett, Business Development Director at Blake Morgan, to the Council. She extended warm thanks to Ogi Pro for hosting this year’s AGM and for their ongoing support of the Society.
Presidential focus for 2025-2026
In outlining her priorities for the year ahead, Emma announced a three-point mission focused on strengthening resilience across the profession — for individuals, firms and the wider legal ecosystem. She said:
“For someone who became a legal sector journalist 16 years ago – after focusing on regeneration and local government journalism – this is an extraordinary privilege.
“Cardiff has been my home for 15 years, and I’ve spent much of that time supporting, connecting and celebrating our brilliant legal community. To now have the opportunity to lead the largest regional law society in Wales feels both humbling and energising.”
Emma’s focus for the year ahead centres on resilience — for individuals, firms and the wider profession — through three key priorities:
1) To share best practice on how our members are building law firms fit for the future – and what that looks like for the next generation. Legal business structures and the recruitment landscape have shifted and CDLS has a role to play in supporting the profession and future lawyers to check we’re all in sync. We’ll start the conversation and share our members’ voices at the highest level where needed to help.
Her second point is connected to this; to help firms navigate the change and opportunities from AI – and how we build careers in tandem for the next generation of lawyers.
2) To help lead our legal community through the seismic impact of AI – building on our LegalTech Group mentorship and events to support firms to trial and innovate with confidence, in tandem with best practice governance and risk management. She said the firms utilising AI are ‘happy to share their progress and I’m open to working with a variety of voices to support practices of all sizes in this evolution’.
3) To create a dedicated Legal Business Leaders Network for ‘non-lawyer’ professionals; those at the beating heart of the operational success of law firms and chambers – offering events, insight and a unique community.
Emma closed the AGM by thanking the CDLS council members, and supporters of the regional law society, adding:
“There’s something special about the sector in Wales – we genuinely support and raise each other up and the value of this collaboration can’t be underestimated”.
About Emma Waddingham, President CDLS (2025-2026)
Emma Waddingham is the Founder and Editor of Legal News Wales, bringing 16 years of experience as a respected legal sector journalist. She launched Legal News Wales in 2020, and it has since become the largest independent news, insight, events and cross-sector network for the legal profession in Wales.
During her 14 years in Wales, Emma has taken on significant leadership and advisory roles across the legal ecosystem. She sits on key committees including The Pro Bono Committee of Wales, and serves as Conference Director for the annual Legal Wales Conference and Dinner. She regularly chairs and speaks at legal and professional services events, and recently co-founded Wakes’ first independent Equity Forum to support leaders in equality, diversity and inclusion.
Elected as Junior Vice President of Cardiff & District Law Society in 2023, Emma will now lead the Society in 2025 as its first non-lawyer President, reflecting the evolving, multidisciplinary nature of the legal profession. At the Legal Wales Conference 2023, she was described by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution, Mick Antoniw MS, as “the glue that holds the legal sector in Wales together.”
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Banner photo, L-R: CDLS Vice President, Julia Reynolds (Leigh Day), CDLS President, Emma Waddingham (Legal News Wales), CDLS Immediate Past President, Trish D’Souza (Browne Jacobson).
