Dana Denis-Smith

Dana Denis-Smith is an award-winning entrepreneur, a leading campaigner for an equal legal profession, TEDx speaker, and philanthropist. Dana is the CEO of Obelisk Support, a legal services provider offering flexible legal solutions to FTSE100 companies, law firms, and growing businesses, UK-based or multinational. In 2014, she founded the First 100 Years, a national campaign to celebrate the first 100 years of women in the legal profession in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The campaign culminated in centenary celebrations on 23 December 2019 and now focuses on the next 100 years, campaigning around key issues for women in law. A TedX speaker, Dana regularly speaks at industry events and in the media on gender equality, entrepreneurship, and legal technology. She has won numerous awards, most recently in 2019, when she was recognised by the Legal 500 for Outstanding Achievement in Legal Services, and, in 2018, she was voted Legal Personality of the Year at the LexisNexis Awards. She holds an honorary doctorate in laws from the University of Worcester.

The march of women in law cannot be stopped – we might be tripped, obstacles laid in our paths, but women in law are a force and I truly hope we will make the most of our opportunity now to change the future by learning from the past to help each other rise.

photo © Rosie Parsons Photography