About
🌟 Welcome to my LinkedIn profile! 🌟
⚡️I am told I always bring “energy…
Articles by Dana
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Tradition vs Transition: all I am asking is for us to create access paths for returners back to law
Tradition vs Transition: all I am asking is for us to create access paths for returners back to law
By Dana Denis-Smith
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In life, you have to fall often to learn to succeed
In life, you have to fall often to learn to succeed
By Dana Denis-Smith
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Where does ‘growth’ fit between purpose and profit?
Where does ‘growth’ fit between purpose and profit?
By Dana Denis-Smith
Contributions
Activity
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Really delighted to have this essay, "We Must Change the Nature of Economic Growth", in the new issue of the International Monetary Fund's Finance &…
Really delighted to have this essay, "We Must Change the Nature of Economic Growth", in the new issue of the International Monetary Fund's Finance &…
Liked by Dana Denis-Smith
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🎉 Exciting news! Caravel's Client Strategy Advisor, Paula Pépin, has been named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers by Canadian Lawyer…
🎉 Exciting news! Caravel's Client Strategy Advisor, Paula Pépin, has been named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers by Canadian Lawyer…
Liked by Dana Denis-Smith
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Excited to be speaking at the #JuniorSolicitorsNetworkSummit on Friday 13 September 2024 at CMS UK in London. The event starts at 09:30 for…
Excited to be speaking at the #JuniorSolicitorsNetworkSummit on Friday 13 September 2024 at CMS UK in London. The event starts at 09:30 for…
Liked by Dana Denis-Smith
Experience
Education
Volunteer Experience
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Women Pivoting to Digital Taskforce
City of London Corporation
- Present 6 months
Part of the Women Pivoting to Digital Taskforce, which includes businesses such as IBM, Accenture and Salesforce, brings together business, Government, third sector and industry groups to support women from non-technical backgrounds to pivot to digital roles in AI, data, cyber and IT.
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Advisory Board Member
Judicial Appointments Commission
- Present 1 year 4 months
Civil Rights and Social Action
I was appointed to the JAC Advisory Board to represent the solicitors profession and our members’ progression to the judiciary in England & Wales
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Council Member, Women Solicitors
The Law Society
- Present 2 years
Civil Rights and Social Action
I am one of 5 council members representing women solicitors on the Law Society Council.
Since January 2023, I am also a member of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committe of the Law Society, responsible for driving the diveristy agenda for the organisation and for supporting the wider profession achieve a more equal solicitor profession for all. -
Equalty, diversity & inclusion committee member
The Law Society
- Present 1 year 9 months
Civil Rights and Social Action
I was thrilled to be appointed a member of the EDIC committee of the professional membership body to help set and oversee the strategy and work delivering a more equal legal profession.
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Member of the Membership and Communications Committee
The Law Society
- Present 3 months
Civil Rights and Social Action
This committee develops and oversees the services we provide to our members and how we communicate with our members and other stakeholders.
Committee members are experienced in understanding the needs and expectations of our members, and in working with internal and external stakeholders. -
Entrepreneurship Expert with the Entrepreneurship Centre at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
- Present 3 years 3 months
Economic Empowerment
The oNetwork initiative aims to link students and alumni of the Saïd Business School and the wider
entrepreneurial community to successful and established entrepreneurs and professionals in the
entrepreneurial ecosystem. The Entrepreneurship Centre offers a number of programmes and
activities to support entrepreneurial learning and thinking throughout the University; our experts
provide programme-specific support and bring practical, real life entrepreneurial experience to…The oNetwork initiative aims to link students and alumni of the Saïd Business School and the wider
entrepreneurial community to successful and established entrepreneurs and professionals in the
entrepreneurial ecosystem. The Entrepreneurship Centre offers a number of programmes and
activities to support entrepreneurial learning and thinking throughout the University; our experts
provide programme-specific support and bring practical, real life entrepreneurial experience to the
Centre’s various activities. -
Mentor
Imperial College London
- Present 4 years 2 months
Economic Empowerment
IVMS is an advisory service for any student or staff member showing a clear entrepreneurial intent and wishing to realise their entrepreneurial idea via the development of a startup company. IVMS uses team-based mentoring where two to three mentors work with a startup for an open-ended period. Team mentoring offers a unique opportunity to advise the leader of a venture and to selectively lend the mentor͛s wealth of contacts and experience to the venture.
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WBE Council Member
WEConnect International
- Present 6 years 9 months
Economic Empowerment
WeConnect is committed to achieving more diversity in the supply chain - only 2% of all corporate spent is with diverse supplier (from under-represented communities); WeConnect champions more women-owned businesses in the supply chain
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Trustee
Spark21
- Present 8 years 4 months
Civil Rights and Social Action
Spark21 is a charity founded to celebrate, inform and inspire future generations of women in the professions. (www.spark21.org)
Spark21 is the charitable organisation that is managing the pioneering "First 100 Years of Women (2014-2019): Women in Law" campaign to mark 100 years since women have joined the professions, including law as well as Next 100 Years, it's follow up campaign.
Spark21 was founded to:
• advance education in the subject of women in the legal and other…Spark21 is a charity founded to celebrate, inform and inspire future generations of women in the professions. (www.spark21.org)
Spark21 is the charitable organisation that is managing the pioneering "First 100 Years of Women (2014-2019): Women in Law" campaign to mark 100 years since women have joined the professions, including law as well as Next 100 Years, it's follow up campaign.
Spark21 was founded to:
• advance education in the subject of women in the legal and other professions;
• promote equality and diversity and in particular the elimination of discrimination on the ground of
gender; and
• advance the arts, in particular but without limitation by commissioning, establishing maintaining,
publishing and performing (as applicable) works of art.
Publications
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Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession 2nd ed
Wildly
This new edition will provide essential reading for all organisations committed to inclusion and diversity across the modern workplace. My contribution was a chapter on ageism.
Other authors -
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Artificial Intelligence
Elgar Allan
I contributed a chapter on the impact of AI on employment; Chapter 13 notes that most personal relationships take place outside a person's private life. Employment professionals must recognise this and have an understanding of what AI and related tools are checking. Professionals may know the rules but not know that they are breaking them. Examples of these cases are given and techniques suggested to mitigate the harms. The chapter picks up a widely discussed theme relating to the technology of…
I contributed a chapter on the impact of AI on employment; Chapter 13 notes that most personal relationships take place outside a person's private life. Employment professionals must recognise this and have an understanding of what AI and related tools are checking. Professionals may know the rules but not know that they are breaking them. Examples of these cases are given and techniques suggested to mitigate the harms. The chapter picks up a widely discussed theme relating to the technology of surveillance. It makes interesting observations about augmented intelligence and includes a series of practical proposals.
Other authorsSee publication -
In her words
Scala Publishers
In Her Words is a unique snapshot of women in the legal profession from around the world at a defining point in history: following a century of progress but in the midst of a global crisis causing profound uncertainty.
For International Women’s Day 2020, women gathered across 6 continents to have their photographs taken as part of the ‘Face the Future’ campaign, celebrating gender equality and diversity in the law. Little did they know that we were on the verge of the Covid-19 pandemic…In Her Words is a unique snapshot of women in the legal profession from around the world at a defining point in history: following a century of progress but in the midst of a global crisis causing profound uncertainty.
For International Women’s Day 2020, women gathered across 6 continents to have their photographs taken as part of the ‘Face the Future’ campaign, celebrating gender equality and diversity in the law. Little did they know that we were on the verge of the Covid-19 pandemic, which threatens to undo decades of progress. In Her Words features the portraits and written reflections of this diverse group of women, united by the legal profession, on the extraordinary times that followed that photoshoot and their expectations for the future.Other authorsSee publication -
Doing Business After Brexit
Bloomsbury
I contributed a chapter on the future for legal talent after Brexit. The volume Doing Business After Brexit: A Practical Guide to the Legal Issues, edited by Helen Tse, considers the legal issues arising out of Brexit and the immediate and future issues that businesses are likely to face and suggests steps on how to mitigate for any Brexit-related risk.
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What Did We Do Right? Global Perspectives on Ireland's Miracle
Blackhall Publishing
A collection of essays from international academics (including Asia, North America, Europe and the Middle East) on the economic lessons that can be learned from the Celtic Tiger phenomenon in Ireland. (Author, Editor), Dr. Rory Miller (Author, Editor)
Other authorsSee publication -
China taps into the heart of Turkmenistan’s gas fields
Financial Times
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Safeguarding the Rule of Law in an Enlarged EU
CEPS
This report assesses the needs and options for monitoring and reinforcing the rule of law in an enlarged EU. It looks at the existing mechanisms for monitoring in the EU, the Council of Europe and the UN and identifies the gaps before suggesting solutions. The report includes case studies on Bulgaria and Romania that focus on the ways in which the two most recent member states of the EU have responded to the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism imposed on them at accession while giving an…
This report assesses the needs and options for monitoring and reinforcing the rule of law in an enlarged EU. It looks at the existing mechanisms for monitoring in the EU, the Council of Europe and the UN and identifies the gaps before suggesting solutions. The report includes case studies on Bulgaria and Romania that focus on the ways in which the two most recent member states of the EU have responded to the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism imposed on them at accession while giving an overview of the very different issues faced by each country in the context of the rule of law. These country reports feed into the overall analysis of the need for effective monitoring of the rule of law in the EU in general.
Honors & Awards
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Honorary doctorate in laws
University of Glasgow
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Special Contribution Award 2020
Women in Law Awards
I won the Special Contribution Award for 'spearheading the First 100 years - the campaign that 'caught the imagination of the legal profession" in 2019.
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Women In Law Award - Highly Commended
British Legal Awards 2019
An award recognising the role of women in the legal profession
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Legal Personality of the Year
The Law Society
Finalist in the Excellence Awards, The Law Society of England & Wales
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Honorary member
Association of Women Judges
Recognised for my contribution by being asked to become an Honorary Supporting member of the association of women judges – you must be a judge to be a member. This, we hope, is a unique reflection on your impact in the world of women in the law.
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Outstanding Achievement Award 2019
Legal 500
“As the founder and CEO of Obelisk Support and as the founder of the First 100 Years project, Dana Denis-Smith has put her desire to help women succeed in law at the core of her professional life. The former lawyer and journalist founded Obelisk Support in 2010 to help City lawyers – especially mothers –to work flexibly around their family and other commitments, while simultaneously providing businesses with flexible access to lawyers. The company now serves clients including Barclays, BT and…
“As the founder and CEO of Obelisk Support and as the founder of the First 100 Years project, Dana Denis-Smith has put her desire to help women succeed in law at the core of her professional life. The former lawyer and journalist founded Obelisk Support in 2010 to help City lawyers – especially mothers –to work flexibly around their family and other commitments, while simultaneously providing businesses with flexible access to lawyers. The company now serves clients including Barclays, BT and Goldman Sachs. In 2014, she founded the First 100 Years project to chart the history of women in law and celebrate their achievements. 2019 marks 100 years since the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 was enacted, allowing women to enter the professions.”
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Honorary Doctor of Laws
University of Worcester
"We honour Dana for her own considerable achievements as a woman, lawyer and entrepreneur. But in honouring Dana, we also honour the memory of every one of those ordinary – extraordinary – women – women who changed the course of history in their own quietly remarkable way. In recognising Dana’s courage and determination to make meaningful change in the working lives of women lawyers, we recognise the quiet courage and determination of those ordinary women who won the battle, to ensure that…
"We honour Dana for her own considerable achievements as a woman, lawyer and entrepreneur. But in honouring Dana, we also honour the memory of every one of those ordinary – extraordinary – women – women who changed the course of history in their own quietly remarkable way. In recognising Dana’s courage and determination to make meaningful change in the working lives of women lawyers, we recognise the quiet courage and determination of those ordinary women who won the battle, to ensure that every woman in the cathedral today has the freedom that we now enjoy and expect – economic freedom, the freedom to choose our own career without discrimination, the freedom to do what we were born to do." Prof Sarah Greer
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Winner of Legal Personality of the Year Award
Lexis Nexis
This award honours an individual (not necessarily with a background or qualification in the law) who has made an outstanding contribution in the legal sphere in the past year. The judges will select a shortlist from the entries based primarily on their achievements in the last 12 months, with the winner being decided by an online vote of the New Law Journal readership.
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Best Mentor and Role Model
WeConnect International
Winner of this international award, announced at the WeConnect Annual Gala in Washington in 2017. The Best Mentor and Role Model Award recognises WEConnect International certified women business owners that have not only developed successful businesses, but have also helped those around them do the same.
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2016 Everywoman Awards
Everywoman UK
One of 3 finalists recognised for building a business whilst raising children aged 12 or under. Sponsored by the Daily Mail.https://www.everywoman.com/award/2016-natwest-everywoman-awards
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30 Inspirational Women in the CIty
Brummell Magazine
Brummell’s annual ‘Inspirational Women in the City’ listing is published each September, showcasing the achievements and progress of some of the most successful women working in the Square Mile. This year, the focus is on women who champion diversity and are spearheading a cultural revolution to drive positive change in their sector and business. The Inspirational Women 2015: City Champions of Diversity listing describes Dana as: “A believer that flexible working is a real strength for lawyers…
Brummell’s annual ‘Inspirational Women in the City’ listing is published each September, showcasing the achievements and progress of some of the most successful women working in the Square Mile. This year, the focus is on women who champion diversity and are spearheading a cultural revolution to drive positive change in their sector and business. The Inspirational Women 2015: City Champions of Diversity listing describes Dana as: “A believer that flexible working is a real strength for lawyers and clients, Denis-Smith founded Obelisk in 2010 to re-engage highly skilled lawyers who have young children or other caring responsibilities. Formerly a journalist at The Economist Group, Denis-Smith applies ideas from other industries to drive change for women in professional- services firms, and was recognised as the 2015 Outstanding Innovator by Legal Week. In 2014, she founded the First 100 Years project, the UK’s first digital platform dedicated to the history of women in law, delivered in a multimedia format."
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2015 Outstanding Innovator
Legal Week - Legal Innovation Awards
“Dana has been at the forefront of the movement to promote flexible working, and in particular helping mums get back to work. She is constantly finding new ways to get alternate ways of working accepted and has helped provide a voice of reason in a hotly debated area.”
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Finalist, Opportunity Now Awards for Excellence in Practice
Opportunity Now, Business in the Community
Obelisk Support is a finalist in the Agile organisation category. The Agile Organisation Award
recognises workplace programmes/initiatives that demonstrate an agile/flexible approach to job design and the work environment. For example: harnessing technology; bringing flexible working policies to life or creating new ways of working -
Legal Innovation Awards Finalist
Legal Week
Obelisk Support is a finalist in the The Legal Innovation Awards in the Mobile and Flexible Working Innovation Category. The Awards set out to recognise and reward the people who are driving the profession forward by applying imagination and ingenuity to take good ideas off the drawing board and turn them into products that improve the delivery of legal advice.
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Best Management of Innovation and Alignment of Resources Award Finalist
Managing Partners Forum Awards for Management Excellence 2015
Obelisk Support is a finalist in 2 categories at this year's awards.
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Opportunity Now Awards for Excellence in Practice
Opportunity Now
Obelisk Support is a finalist in the Agile organisation category. The Opportunity Now Excellence in Practice Awards are the UK's leading diversity awards for employers who are creating equal and inclusive workplace for women.
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Best Emerging Firm Finalist
Managing Partner Forum Awards for Management Excellence
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Best Strategic Leadership Award Winner
Managing Partner Forum Management Excellence Awards
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Included in Timewise Foundation's Power Part Time List 2013
Timewise Foundation
The people on the 2013 Power Part Time List of 40 business leaders who are role models both in and outside their businesses; trailblazers of a truly modern way of working.
http://timewisefoundation.org.uk/our-work/power-part-time/2013-winners/ -
"Legal Pioneers" - Stand Out for Innovation
Financial Times
FT Innovative Lawyers Awards 2013
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"Best Emerging Firm" 2013 Award Finalist
Managing Partner Forum Awards 2013
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"Investment in Women in the Law" 2013 Award Finalist
Halsbury Legal Awards
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"Legal Pioneers" - Highly Commended
FT Innovative Lawyers Awards 2012
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Legal Innovator of the Year- one of 10 European lawyers
Financial Times
One of 10 shortlisted individuals in these annual prestigious awards. Also highly commended as a company in the Legal Pioneers Category.
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Best Supporting Business Winner
Mumpreneur UK Awards 2012
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Included in Management Today's 35 Under 35 List for 2010 of women to lead and inspire in business in the UK
Management Today magazine
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Complinet Awards - Highly Commended for our work in emerging markets
Complinet (now Thomson Reuters Accelus)
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LSE Scholar
London School of Economics
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LSE Scholar
London School of Economics
Languages
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Romanian
Native or bilingual proficiency
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French
Professional working proficiency
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German
Limited working proficiency
Organizations
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Law Society of England and Wales
Council Member
- PresentI was elected to represent women solicitors on the 96-strong Council, overseeing a membership of nearly 200,000 solicitors in England and Wales
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International Women's Forum
Member
- PresentIWF UK is one of the largest and longest established forums of the global IWF organisation. Founded in 1989, it is a unique network of women of achievement across all areas of endeavour, from science and technology to the arts, business, charities, education, government, healthcare and media. Membership is by invitation. Drawing on our members’ diverse influence and expertise, IWF UK seeks to raise awareness and foster discussion of important subjects such as ethical leadership, board…
IWF UK is one of the largest and longest established forums of the global IWF organisation. Founded in 1989, it is a unique network of women of achievement across all areas of endeavour, from science and technology to the arts, business, charities, education, government, healthcare and media. Membership is by invitation. Drawing on our members’ diverse influence and expertise, IWF UK seeks to raise awareness and foster discussion of important subjects such as ethical leadership, board diversity, and the future of work. It supports and furthers women’s equality and leadership in many different areas, but is not a lobbying organisation.
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RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce)
Fellow
- PresentAs a fellow I am a part of a global network people who support the RSA's mission to enrich society through ideas and action
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SVC2UK, Go to Grow London
Female Founder
- PresentI had the honour to be selected to join an international trade mission to Silicon Valley organised by the Mayor of London and SVC2UK. I am now part of the Go to Grow programme helping women scale up their businesses.
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📚 Law Uni Courses Are Not Being Filled - should we worry for the future of the legal profession? ⚖️ I've been reflecting on a story from The Lawyer…
📚 Law Uni Courses Are Not Being Filled - should we worry for the future of the legal profession? ⚖️ I've been reflecting on a story from The Lawyer…
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