The Legal Wales Foundation is delighted to announce that the 2024 Legal Wales Conference and Dinner will be hosted in west Wales, for the first time.

Split between two fantastic and spacious venues, we will cater for over 100 legal professionals, VIPs, members of the judiciary and representatives from the Welsh and UK governments, academics, students and those who support the legal sector, for a one-day conference and an evening dinner to follow.

The Legal Wales Conference, now in its 21st year, provides a platform for significant contributions to the continuing dialogue on constitutional and legal developments in Wales, and the future shape of the profession.

“The 2023 Conference was a resounding celebration of our 20th anniversary and has set the bar high for the next 20 years. As the Conference goes from strength to strength, our ambition for the future is to continue broadening our platform for speakers of national and international status and expertise to address legal matters relating not only to Wales but also to the world around us.”

(Jonathan Rees KC, Chair of the Legal Wales Foundation.)

The Conference also includes a presentation of the Sir Samuel Evans Prize 2024 for the best undergraduate result at a Welsh Law School. Our evening guest speaker, who will open the dinner, is John Hyde, Deputy News Editor, The Law Society Gazette, who will share his insights from covering the Post Office Inquiry.

Both the conference and the dinner are held in conjunction with Legal News Wales.

With thanks to our Headline Sponsors Browne Jacobson and 30 Park Place.

The Delegate Pack sponsor is Geldards.

The photography sponsor is 11 KBW chambers.

Keynote Speakers

Keynote speakers and session chairs for the 2024 conference include:

• The Lady Chief Justice of Wales and England, Rt Hon. Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill DBE
• Rt Hon, Lord Reed of Allermuir, President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
• Rt Hon Lord Lloyd-Jones, Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, Chair of the Law Council of Wales and session chair
• The Counsel General for Wales, Mick Antoniw AS
• Judge Barry Clarke, President of Employment Tribunals (England and Wales)
• Sir Gary Hickinbottom, President of Welsh Tribunals (session chair)
• Ambassador Stephen J Rapp, Former US Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues & Senior Visiting Fellow, Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford
• Professor Laura McAllister, Chair of the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales
• Jonathan Elystan Rees KC, Chair of Legal Wales
• Huw Williams, Chief Legal Advisor, Senedd Cymru (session chair and chair of Conference Programme Committee)
• Dinner Speaker: John Hyde, Deputy News editor, Law Society Gazette

Breakout Sessions

The Conference offers nine breakout sessions, including the following themes:

• Freeport Development
• Post Covid Workplace Culture and Regulatory Considerations
• Major Public Inquiries
• Legal Apprenticeships in Wales
• Update from The Law Commission of Wales and England
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Legal Practice
• Pathfinder: Why the pilot was transformative in Wales
• The Youard Lecture on Welsh Legal and Social History: Giraldus Cambrensis as a Canonist: ‘Thrice to Rome’
• Le Pardon de St Yves, 2025 (presented by delegates from Brittany)

Venues

Conference Venue: Pembrokeshire Archives, Prendergast, Haverfordwest, SA61 2PE

Dinner Venue: Tŷ Milford Hotel, Milford Haven, SA73 3AA

Book now

• Conference ticket only: £95 PP 

The conference ticket includes a full day at the conference, with lunch and refreshments included. Plenty of free parking is available at the venue.

• Dinner ticket only: £75 PP 

Please note: The evening dinner ticket includes a welcome drink and three-course meal, with tea / coffee. Wine and other drinks are to be purchased separately. A pre-order drinks list will be sent to all attendees, to be ordered directly with the Tŷ Milford Hotel.

Booking instructions

Please complete the booking form, available here: https://forms.office.com/e/h6pU8URaYv

• The Treasurer of the Legal Wales Foundation (Hannah Menard) will send an invoice to you. Please note: your tickets will only be confirmed once payment has been received.
• If you have any questions regarding the conference or bookings, please contact the Conference Director, Emma Waddingham, via email: emma@legalnewswales.com.

Accommodation at the Tŷ Milford Hotel – Legal Wales Conference special rates

Located on the Pembrokeshire coast and just 400 metres from Milford Beach, Tŷ Milford Waterfront offers stylish accommodation in Milford Haven and features a fitness centre, a restaurant and a bar at Dulse. The hotel was launched in partnership with the Port of Milford Haven and Milford Waterfront and is operated by the Celtic Collection.

The following accommodation rates have been supplied by the Tŷ Milford hotel: 

• Single Occupancy Bed & Breakfast King room per room per night: £95.00
• Single Occupancy Bed & Breakfast King room with waterfront view per room per night: £115.00
• Single Occupancy Bed & Breakfast Family Room per room per night: £130.00

Please note:

• The rates outlined above are inclusive of breakfast at the hotel
• The above accommodation has been reserved for your event, in order that guests may be able to book their own rooms directly within the Celtic Collection.
• Bedrooms are available from 4.00pm UK time and all rooms must be vacated by 11.00am UK time.
• All prices quoted are exclusive of VAT at the current rate.

Hotel book direct process:

Guests can book a room online at celtic-manor.com using the following ‘Block ID’ promo code prompt on the ‘Book Online’ tab on the homepage or call the reservations team on 01633 413000.

The Block ID promo Code is: WLF111024

Promo code instructions

Please ensure you have clicked the Block ID code in the dropdown option, added the code, and selected the correct dates. The accommodation rates are applicable to bookings on the 10th – 12th October 2024 (inclusive). If you encounter any issues using the online page, please call the reservations team on 01633 413000.

At the time of booking, guests will be required to make a full non-refundable and non-transferable prepayment of the bedroom(s).

Conference exhibition / sponsorship

Limited sponsorship packages are available for the Legal Wales Conference 2023 including headline, lunch and delegate pack sponsorship, exhibition stands and advertising.

“I was a member of the programme committee for the first Legal Wales Conference, and I am delighted to have been involved long enough to see the event grow to become an established part of the Welsh legal scene. It continues in its original aim of providing a platform for speakers of national and international status and expertise to speak about legal matters of relevance to Wales.”

(Huw Williams, Chair of the Programme Committee.)

Please contact the Conference Director, Emma Waddingham (emma@legalnewswales.com) for more information.

Delegate Pack Sponsor:

Photography Sponsor: