Middle Temple Wales Society St David’s Day Dinner – 2026
The Wales Circuit Society continues to engage members and students of our Inn on our Circuit and, amongst the various Qualifying Sessions and social occasions throughout the year, the annual St David’s Day Dinner took place on Saturday, 28 February 2026 at Voco St David’s Hotel in Cardiff, overlooking Cardiff Bay. It was a hugely successful and entertaining evening attended by Master Treasurer and his life enhancing ‘facilitator,’ the Director of Education, our beloved Christa Richmond. We are truly fortunate to have them both at the helm of our Inn, not just due to their commitment and contribution over the many years but in the way that they both engage all members, and particularly our younger members, with great enthusiasm and humour, both in London and on Circuit. It was a joy to have them in Cardiff, and we look forward to any excuse to have them back in the Principality.
Legal Events in Wales – 2025/2026
As a progressing and vibrant legal sector in Wales, we are not short, yet again, in events that attract and involve all sectors of the legal profession and the judiciary.
As examples, the Public Law Project Annual Conference 2025 was held on Wednesday 15 October 2025 and the LLG Wales Regional Conference, on Saturday, 15 November 2025, focused on public law in Wales with speakers from Browne Jacobson and Civitas.
In April 2026, Wales hosted the 41st annual British and Irish Law Education and Technology Association Conference at Aberystwyth University. The WER LegalTech 2026 Conference was held in May 2026 followed by the ‘Data Justice Conference’ in June 2026 at Cardiff University – an international conference on the societal implications of datafication and the use of AI. The ever popular Legal News Wales Awards took place on Thursday 4 June 2026 in Cardiff.
Bangor University hosted the 23rd Legal Wales Conference and dinner on Friday, 10 October 2025 – an annual event that attracts leading figures from the Welsh and English legal profession, senior judiciary, statutory bodies and government.
This year’s programme centred on how Wales can continue to develop a justice system that places the Welsh Government’s legal objectives under an even more focused, engaging and extensive legal scrutiny.
As Emma Waddingham reported from the event, (Editor & Founder of Legal News and the current President of the Cardiff & District Law Society) the proceeds from the conference continue to support the Legal Wales Lord Edmund-Davies Legal Education Trust and its ‘Access to Law’ Summer Scheme, which provides opportunities for talented students from under-represented backgrounds to gain experience across the Welsh legal system.
Keynote speakers included the Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales, The Rt Hon the Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill, the Counsel General for Wales, The Rt Hon Elfyn Llwyd and Minister for Delivery, Julie James MS. Mark Evans, President of the Law Society of England and Wales, Tim Eicke KC, UK Judge of the European Court of Human Rights (2016–2025), and the Rt Hon Lord Justice Peter Fraser, Chair of the Law Commission of England and Wales also spoke.
All speakers spoke positively and constructively for a more accessible legal system, the vital need for the increased use of bilingual law and the obvious and ever-present need for investment in the recruitment and retention of practitioners in all legal disciplines – the latter that will absolutely chime across both England and Wales.
As Emma reported, as the Lady Chief Justice closed the conference (for the third year), she delivered a poignant speech acknowledging both the development and collaboration within the Welsh justice system and celebrated Wales’s ‘remarkable performance’ across the courts – emphasising how, ‘despite pressures on staff and estate, Welsh courts continue to outperform the national average in case processing times’ and, reflecting on her visits to Welsh courts and prisons, and her continued engagement with the Senedd and Welsh Government, ‘change is in the air’, referring to judicial reform and the proposed new Cardiff Civil Justice Centre, adding ‘I am confident that Wales continues to lead by example.’
This year’s Conference and Dinner returns to Cardiff on Friday, 9 October 2026.
I cannot end this missive to you without reference to a significant event in Wales – the political elections held on Thursday, 7 May 2026 – hot off the press at the time of writing but history (albeit continuing) at the time of this publication. Plaid Cymru won 43 seats in the Senedd but finished just short of a majority. Welsh Labour suffered a historic defeat, losing a national election in Wales for the first time in over 100 years.
Whatever your views on the gradual (but inevitable) devolution away from London, we have come a long way in Wales from Hywel Dda (‘Hywel the Good’) in the 10th Century – when he was believed to have codified Welsh law – right through to the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act 2024 which marked a major constitutional change as, from the 2026 Senedd election, people in Wales will use a new voting system to elect 96 Members to represent 16 constituencies across the country, reflecting the Senedd’s growing role and responsibilities.
Given the election results and the attendance and enthusiasm at the last Legal Wales Conference from practitioners, academics and senior judiciary in both England and Wales, we are undoubtedly entering into a much more intensive, innovative and brave new legal world here in Wales as a constant, essential and historic legal part of the Union – or, as some believe, the commencement, now, of a gradual farewell to it – but as Middle Templars on our Circuit, we will continue to actively and positively engage with all these new challenges whilst knowing that our Inn will remain an anchor (and ‘Domus’) to our members and our students here in Wales.
Master Michael Selwyn Tudor Jones
Master Michael Selwyn Tudor Jones was Called to the Bar by Master Ronald Waterhouse at Middle Temple in 1995 and was, twice, a member of the Revels. As a former self-employed and now employed barrister in criminal law, he was the first appointment into silk from the Crown Prosecution Service in Welsh legal history. He is a former Member of both the Membership Committee and the Bench Selection Advisory Committee, past Chair and current member of the Middle Temple Employed Bar Society, a Middle Temple Student Sponsor, a Middle Temple Advocacy Trainer, Honorary Secretary of the Middle Temple Wales Circuit Society, an elected Member of the Bar Council of England and Wales and past Chair of the Employed Bar Committee of the Bar Council. He is also a door tenant at 30 Park Place in Cardiff.
