Cardiff & District Law Society (CDLS) brought together the region’s legal community on Friday 7 November for its Annual Dinner and Awards 2025 – including the Simon Mumford Memorial Award presentation.
Hosted by Vice President Emma Waddingham and presided over by President Trish D’Souza, the event celebrated the achievements, generosity and unity of the legal profession across South Wales.
A year of action and inclusion
In a powerful and reflective address, President Trish D’Souza looked back on a year defined by equality, wellbeing and community impact.
She praised the Society’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) programme, which this year placed an emphasis on intersectionality — acknowledging the complexity of lived experience within the profession. Trish congratulated EDI Officer Janine Abdo for leading an inspirational International Women’s Day event, featuring Karen Jones (TSR Legal), Tom Black and Nadine Gutteridge (Eversheds Sutherland), who shared honest reflections on diversity in commercial law.
“We are all complex creatures — a bundle of protected characteristics, vulnerabilities and sensitivities — and we need to start thinking about diversity issues inside those intersections,” Trish told guests.
Trish also celebrated CDLS’s growing presence at Pride Cymru, which this year saw its largest-ever delegation of local legal professionals marching alongside the Law Society, the SRA and Legal Ombudsman.
The Society’s first Neurodiversity event was another milestone — exploring how firms like Duncan Lewis are adapting their services to support neurodivergent clients in the family justice system.
She also championed the launch of an Employed Advocates Network, a new initiative aimed at reconnecting and retaining advocates within employed roles — a passion she said she would ‘personally continue to drive forward next year’.
Supporting pro bono and professional growth
Trish spotlighted the new CDLS Pro Bono Champion Scheme, which brings together firm-level pro bono leads to share best practice and raise the profile of volunteer legal work across South Wales. Working with LawWorks Cymru and the Pro Bono Committee for Wales, CDLS aims to build on the success of Pro Bono Week UK with a follow-up event in early 2026.
She also acknowledged the work of Hannah Newberry, the society’s Professional Development Officer, for delivering a busy year of CPD events — from leadership and soft skills to updates in family and employment law.
Leadership, representation and resilience
Reflecting on 139 years of CDLS history, Trish noted that she is the eighth female CDLS President and the second from a global majority heritage background — and part of an unprecedented five-woman presidential sequence. She said that the run of five female presidents was ‘by accident rather than design’, and only possible with the wider council support and encouragement for the leaders who – like all professionals – ‘have busy, complicated lives’. Trish noted:
“Four of those five female members of our presidential team have young children, three have caring roles, two of us have faced bereavement during our presidential years, one is a dog mummy and another gave birth at the end of her presidency. We are only able to juggle our complicated professional and personal lives because we’re not a one-person band. We have a hugely supportive and dynamic team behind us.”
Trish paid tribute to CDLS Council members, and in particular, Vice President Emma Waddingham, who ‘lifted me up’ after the loss of her father early in her presidency.
She also thanked the Annual Dinner sponsors for their support and ambassadorship of the society and the event. This year’s Gold Sponsors were Browne Jacobson, and the two silver sponsors were TSR Legal Recruitment and Comercity.
Diversity – don’t fear the difference
This year’s guest speaker was TV presenter, broadcaster, former Paralympic captain and now Lived Experience Director at Active Neuro, part of the Active Care Group, Steve Brown.
Best known from BBC’s Countryfile and Escape to the Country, Steve is a familiar face on screen, bringing warmth, humour and insight to his work. In 2012, he captained Great Britain’s wheelchair rugby team at the London Paralympic Games, cementing his reputation as both a competitor and leader. Since then, he has become a sought-after presenter and speaker, championing resilience, teamwork and opportunity.
Steve enthralled guests at the venue by sharing his story and how he believes we could all champion diversity and benefit from honest storytelling of our differences and fears around equity, to build trust, collaboration and active participation in EDI that benefits us all.
Charity of the Year: Diabetes Cymru
The CDLS Charity of the Year is chosen each year by the incoming president. Trish chose Diabetes Cymru and the annual dinner offers an important fundraising platform for the year. Speaking candidly about her own experience of living with diabetes since the age of 23, Trish said:
“Many people think new treatments and research are funded by government. They’re not — they come from the charity sector. Diabetes Cymru plays a vital role in helping people across Wales manage this condition.”
The Big Cardiff Day Out raffle raised £2,000 for the charity on the night, and the donations were collected by Beth Baldwin – a campaigner and fundraiser for Diabetes Cymru – who shared her lived experience of a family living with type 1 diabetes after the passing of her son to the disease.
Celebrating achievement: CDLS Awards 2025
Each year, CDLS runs an award programme linked to the wider social value and employee wellbeing in the legal profession in Wales. The programme also celebrates the region’s Rising Stars in the legal profession and announces the recipient of the prestigious Simon Mumford Memorial Award.
This year, the society awarded four awards to recognise excellence and impact within Cardiff’s legal community, for: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Wellbeing, Rising Star of the Year and Cardiff Legal Hero of the Year, summarised below.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative of the Year 2025
- Winner: Browne Jacobson
- Finalists: Harding Evans Solicitors; Browne Jacobson
The award was Presented by Liz Withers, Head of Consumer Policy and Welsh Affairs at the SRA. Trish noted the judges’ comments and said:
“The judges were truly impressed by Browne Jacobson’s thoughtful and impactful approach to equality, diversity, and inclusion. They felt that the firm clearly identified the issues they wanted to address and demonstrated the tangible impact of their actions.
“What particularly stood out was how Browne Jacobson, despite being a large national firm, focused on Wales-specific initiatives. The judges appreciated this tailored approach and the firm’s genuine understanding of local context and community.
“A truly deserving winner making a real difference in EDI both nationally and here in Wales.”
Wellbeing Initiative of the Year
- Winner: Watkins & Gunn Solicitors
- Finalists: Melyn Legal; Watkins & Gunn Solicitors
The award was presented and announced by Tom Black, Partner at Eversheds Sutherland and CDLS Council Member. The judges said:
“Watkins & Gunn truly stood out to the judges for the depth and quality of their submission. They presented clear and detailed evidence of their initiatives, from regular wellbeing surveys to thoughtful management of workload and supervision.
“The judges were particularly impressed by how engaged the firm is with its staff and how much they value people management. The impact is evident in their results and in the feedback from their team.”
Rising Star Award
- Winner: Olivia Rookes, Lux Family Law
- Finalists: Esther Ifan (Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice); Courtney Wilbor (Acuity Law)
The award was presented by Phillip Griffiths, Senior Clerk at 30 Park Place Chambers. Commenting on behalf of the judges, Trish said:
“The judges were incredibly impressed by Olivia Rookes’ achievements in just one year since qualifying as a solicitor. Her progress has been remarkable and is clearly reflected in glowing client testimonials.
“From her university days, where she helped run a family legal clinic and volunteered with the charity Both Parents Matter Cymru, to now playing a key role in Lux Law’s pro bono work, particularly in cases involving children, Olivia has shown exceptional commitment to helping others. The judges also valued her leadership in her firm’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, leading projects that make a real difference in the community — not just within the legal sector.
“Olivia truly embodies what this award celebrates — talent, dedication, and a genuine commitment to making a positive difference.”
Cardiff Legal Hero Award
- Winner: Lowri Williams, Redkite Solicitors
- Finalists: Angharad Price (Government Legal Department); Richard Jones (CDLS Ambassador)
The award was presented on the night to Redkite Solicitors, on behalf of Lowri (who was on annual leave).
“Lowri Williams stood out for her exceptional community impact and dedication to helping others. Through her work at the Carmarthen Community Money Advice drop-ins, the judges were moved by powerful testimonials highlighting her compassion and her ability to make a life-changing difference to clients.
“Beyond her legal work, Lowri’s commitment continues through her role with the Coastguard Rescue Team, where she demonstrates extraordinary courage and leadership. The judges were also impressed by her work leading Redkite’s Welsh language strategy, her mentoring of aspiring solicitors, and the resilience and compassion she shows in all she does.
“Lowri has made an outstanding and lasting difference to her community and truly embodies what it means to be a Cardiff Legal Hero.”
Simon Mumford Memorial Award 2025: a tribute to ‘the phenomenon known as Huw Williams’
The evening concluded with a moving presentation of the Simon Mumford Memorial Award, honouring Huw Williams, Chief Legal Adviser to Senedd Cymru, co-founder and former Chair of the Legal Wales Conference.
Introducing the 2025 Simon Mumford Memorial Award recipient, Elisabeth Velina Jones, former Counsel General for Wales and Legal Wales Foundation board member, paid a heartfelt tribute to Huw Williams – describing him as “the phenomenon known as Huw Williams.”
Elisabeth told guests:
“Huw’s career plots a chart of the development of the legal sector in Cardiff and Wales over the years, and he has been at the heart of every major legal and cultural milestone.”
Tracing his journey from Jesus College, Oxford to nine years in local government with Mid Glamorgan County Council, Jones recalled how Williams joined Edwards Geldards (now Geldards LLP) in 1987 to work on the regeneration of Cardiff Bay, including the Cardiff Bay Barrage and the creation of the Wales Millennium Centre, where he served for more than 20 years as Company Secretary.
She outlined his distinguished practice in public law — covering planning, environment, devolution and state-aid matters — and his move in 2019 to become Chief Legal Adviser to Senedd Cymru, a post Jones described as “one whose challenges I know well.”
“Huw has served his profession and his country tirelessly,” she said, citing his roles as a trustee of the National Museum of Wales and the National Library of Wales, and his long service to the Law Society’s National Board for Wales and Planning and Environment Law Committee.
Elisabeth highlighted Williams’s pivotal role in the Legal Wales Foundation, which he chaired between 2018–22 after conceiving, back in 2003, the idea of a Legal Wales Conference that would bring international-level speakers to Cardiff.
“One phenomenon deserves another,” she told the audience.
“The continued success of the Conference is testament to Huw’s vision, enthusiasm and dynamism on behalf of the Welsh legal sector.”
She went on to praise Williams’s commitment to social mobility and mentoring through the LEDLET–Legal Wales Access to Law Summer Scheme, which provides opportunities for young people from across Wales with no family links to the law.
“That scheme would never have come to Cardiff had it not been for Huw Williams,” she said.
Elisabeth closed by recognising what she called Williams’s “extraordinary talent for bringing people together”:
“You could call it networking, but it’s much more than that. Huw brings people together for good — for commercial good, for community good, for well-being. Er lles pawb, as we say in Welsh.”
Quoting the Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales, Elisabeth added:
“Your contribution cannot be overstated — both in terms of personal support for me and for running such an extraordinary show for so many years.
Thanking the community
Trish ended the evening with a toast to newly qualified solicitors, barristers and CILEX professionals joining the Society this year — and a nod to those who keep the regional profession thriving behind the scenes.
“As the legal sector journalist John Hyde recently wrote in the Law Gazette, local law societies are the unsung heroes of our profession — and that’s certainly true of ours,” she said, before raising a glass to the CDLS Council, sponsors and supporters.
Photo gallery
Photography Credit: ‘Matthew Horwood Photography Ltd 2025′.
