Cardiff & District Law Society (CDLS) is delighted to announce that this year’s annual CDLS Awards are now open for entry!
Our four categories celebrate excellence in areas close to our core mission as a society in 2025: making a difference in our local communities, intersectional equality, diversity and inclusion events, and creating informative and supportive networks. We will also celebrate our next generation of solicitors and name this year’s recipient of the Simon Mumford Memorial Award.
Each year, CDLS hosts an impactful awards programme to recognise individuals and initiatives that reflect our values and projects (and those of the national Law Society of England and Wales) and enhance communities and the legal sector in Wales.
CDLS President Trish D’Souza said:
“Our awards are a great way to celebrate and showcase the innovative initiatives that are being undertaken in our local communities and beyond.”
Celebrating Legal Cardiff
The award winners will be announced at our Annual Dinner, on Friday 7 November 202, at the Mercure Holland House Hotel, Cardiff. Early Bird tickets for CDLS members, and tickets for non-members will soon be available.
Who can enter?
Legal practices, individuals and barristers’ chambers living or working in Cardiff & the district may enter, (with inclusions per category listed below). Our award categories and criteria, and how to enter, are listed below.
Deadline for entries
25 September 2025, by 10am
CDLS Awards judging panel
The awards will be judged by way of a vote by independent judges and award sponsors collated by the Cardiff & District Law Society presidential team.
Award Categories
There are FOUR CDLS Awards for 2025 that can be entered by legal sector organisations, teams and / or individuals. Please read the criteria carefully. Details on how to enter can be found at the foot of this page.
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Initiative of the Year Award 2025
An award in recognition of an initiative that has made a difference in cultivating a more diverse and inclusive workplace in the Welsh legal sector.
Criteria
- Please provide details in respect of the initiative you/the person you are nominating have introduced, approach taken, objectives and outcomes. The judges are looking for evidence of initiatives which are intersectional and have been put into action for employees or clients and which achieve measurable and tangible results.
- Examples could include recruitment, retention and promotion, staff networks, accessibility in the workplace (or something else), using data and monitoring to inform your approach.
- Submissions that cover some, or all aspects of diversity (including gender reassignment, ethnicity, social mobility, disability, health and wellbeing and sexual orientation) are invited.
Who can enter the EDI Award?
Law firms and chambers and in house legal teams (private and public sectors) based within the Cardiff and District area.
Cardiff Legal Hero of the Year 2025
Sponsored by: Yolk Recruitment
An award in recognition of someone who has made a big difference to the lives of others, their local communities and society over the last year. This person will be a solicitor or legal professional within the Cardiff area who stands out for making a difference to the lives of others, within their local community over the last year.
Criteria
This award is to celebrate an individual who has made a difference in the community.
A Legal Hero is someone who uses their skills, expertise and drive to put the interests of others first, demonstrating the core values which are at the heart of our profession: helping others in need whether that’s via pro bono work, working with the third sector, undertaking outreach work with school pupils in deprived areas of the city, or striving hard to seek justice for those less able to seek it themselves.
This could be through:
- a demonstrative, lasting and tangible difference to the life or lives of others, their local community or society
- bringing distinction to the legal profession
- a commitment to CSR
Who can enter the Cardiff Legal Hero Award?
This award is open to individuals working within the legal profession within the Cardiff & District Area
Rising Star of the Year Award 2025
(For NQ Solicitors up to 3 Years PQE)
This Award celebrates a junior solicitor that goes the extra mile to empower, support, inspire or develop other professionals in the legal sector, the next generation of lawyers. They may also excel in developing clients, service areas, legal knowledge and training, innovation or community work.
Criteria
Applicants for this award should demonstrate:
- a high level of involvement within the profession and area of practice and to what extent, considering their time in practice
- any significant obstacles they have overcome
- Any contribution to non-fee-earning but industry related activities, for example new initiative creation.
Who can enter the Rising Star Award?
- Entrants must be an NQ Solicitor at the time of the award application deadline, with up to 3 Years PQE.
Wellbeing Initiative of the Year 2025
An award to recognise a wellbeing initiative that has made a real change to those working within the legal sector in Cardiff and District.
Criteria
This award will recognise an organisation / person who has demonstrated a proactive and effective approach to wellbeing.
Please provide details in respect of the initiative you/the person you are nominating have introduced, approach taken, objectives and outcomes. The judges are looking for evidence of initiatives which have been put into action for employees or clients and which achieve measurable and tangible results.
Who can enter the Wellbeing Initiative Award?
Welsh law firms, chambers and in house teams (private/public sectors) within the Cardiff & District area, and individuals working within the sector.
How to enter
- Written submissions for any award must be no longer than 800 words in total, with no web links.
- Sent via email in a word document / PDF format.
- Include a high-resolution photograph or logo of the nominated organisation or individual. Plus a short quote that could be included in social media posts.
- Submissions must not contain any links or attachments / appendices for parity in the judging process.
- You may nominate yourself, your firm / chambers or a colleague / peer.
Please note the applications will be judged purely based on your paper submission.
Please send your entries to us via email at: admin@cardifflaw.org
Deadline for entries
25 September 2025, by 10am.
Please send your entries to us via email at: admin@cardifflaw.org
