The Bristol Legal Awards Host 2025
Dana Denis-Smith OBE
Dana Denis-Smith OBE is the CEO of Obelisk Support and the founder of the First 100 Years campaign. A TEDx speaker, she is regularly invited to speak at industry events and contribute to media discussions on gender equality, entrepreneurship, and legal technology. In 2020, she was recognised for her advocacy and leadership on gender equality with the Special Contribution Award at the Women in Law Awards. She was awarded Outstanding Achievement in Legal Services by The Legal 500 in 2019 and named Legal Personality of the Year at the LexisNexis Awards in 2018. Dana was shortlisted in the 2022 Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Europe Awards and, in June 2022, received her second honorary doctorate in laws from the University of Glasgow, in recognition of her achievements and positive impact on the legal profession. In October 2022, she was elected to the Council of the Law Society, representing women solicitors and championing diversity, equity and inclusion across the profession.
In 2010, Dana founded Obelisk Support to deliver flexible legal solutions to FTSE 100 companies and major law firms, by engaging lawyers who required remote or flexible working arrangements due to family or caring responsibilities. Obelisk Support was highly commended in the 2022 Lawyer Awards for ‘Law Company of the Year’ and is ranked by Chambers and Partners as a leading legal service provider, praised by clients for being "commercial and flexible". In 2020, the company won Supplier of the Year at the Women in Law Awards, and in September 2023, it became a certified B Corporation.
In 2014, Dana launched First 100 Years, a national charitable campaign celebrating the centenary of women in the legal profession in the UK and Ireland. Under her leadership, the campaign has created a lasting legacy, working with institutions such as the British Library, the Supreme Court, and the Law Society. In 2020, it evolved into Next 100 Years, with a renewed focus on shaping the future of the legal profession for women.
On 31 December 2024, Dana was awarded an OBE for services to women in the legal profession. She was elected Deputy Vice President of the Law Society of England and Wales on 30 May 2025. She will formally assume the role in October 2025, become Vice President in 2026, and is set to serve as President in 2027. In March 2025, Dana received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Women in Law at the Legal 500 UK ESG Awards.
