Former president wins Inspirational Women in Law accolade

Former CILEX president Emma Davies received the CILEX Lawyer / Chartered Legal Executive of the Year award at this year’s Inspirational Women in Law Awards, run by The Next 100 Years and now in their 10th year.

Emma Davies collects her award from one of the night’s speakers, Terry Miller, former general counsel at Goldman Sachs.

Mrs Davies was a founder member of her local CILEX branch before becoming a CILEX Council member and, in 2023/24, serving as CILEX President.

A strong advocate for the CILEX route into the profession and its importance to those from under-represented groups, she is a CILEX non-executive director, a trustee of the CILEX Foundation and rated a top legal influencer on LinkedIn.

Having worked for the Royal College of Nursing for 13 years, Ms Davies joined Everys Solicitors last year as an associate in the employment and professional discipline team.

CILEX President Sara Fowler presented her with the award on the night. The other Chartered Legal Executive finalists were Joanna Bailey, partner and head of banking and financial fraud litigation at international firm Giambrone & Partners, and Helen Sandrone, partner in the residential property team at top 100 firm RWK Goodman.

The night also saw Baroness Heather Hallett DBE, former Court of Appeal judge and a crossbench life peer, receive a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Baroness Hallett was the first woman to chair the Bar Council in 1998 and the fifth to sit in the Court of Appeal. She served as a High Court judge in the Queen’s Bench Division and was later appointed to the Court of Appeal, ultimately becoming vice-president of its Criminal Division in 2013.

She currently chairs the UK COVID-19 Inquiry and led the inquest into the 7/7 London bombings.

Dana Denis-Smith, CEO of Obelisk Support and founder of the Next 100 Years, said: “This exceptional group of women are working to make their workplaces more inclusive, to support and inspire women across the profession and advocate for women’s rights.

“This is our 10th annual celebration of female role models in law and every year we see how both upcoming female lawyers and established legal professionals are making a real difference to the sector.

“Much has changed in the last ten years, with women now the majority in the profession. Considerable progress has been made towards gender equality and these awards are a chance to pay tribute to trailblazers like Baroness Hallett who have paved the way for future generations of female lawyers, as well as those who are taking up the mantel to champion diversity and support women coming up.”