Michelle's News - April 2026


When I look back at my Mad March Hare reference last month, it’s fair to say the madness has continued well into April!

Since the last update, the diary has been exceptionally full. On 16 March, I attended Nottingham Trent Law School’s Celebrating Legal Excellence evening, followed closely by the High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire’s Legal Service at St Mary’s Church on 22 March, which I attended alongside President Marie Dancer and Deputy Vice President Aldijana Hoad. As always, this was a beautiful and reflective service, bringing together a large gathering of the Nottinghamshire legal community.

On 17 March, we hosted the ever‑popular John Pearce Quiz at Over The Road, a fantastic new venue at the Trent Navigation and a brilliant place to test your legal (and not‑so‑legal!) knowledge. This year’s quiz introduced a new electronic format, which added speed, excitement and a dose of healthy competitiveness—fastest fingers on the buzzer were definitely at the ready. Huge thanks go to the Mountweazels for masterminding the questions, and to everyone who took part. Congratulations to Ropewalk Dynamo on lifting the cup!

On Thursday 19 March, we held the first round of the Hammond Cup, with over 30 advocates submitting civil and criminal applications. We look forward to hosting the final on Thursday 30 April, when we will welcome Michael Hammond’s family to Nottingham to present the trophy to this year’s winners. Our four finalists are outstanding advocates:

  • Jasmin Blackwell‑Lynch – The Johnson Partnership
  • James Reynolds – KCH Garden Square
  • Oyin Makinde – Browne Jacobson
  • Daniel Blurton – Daniel Bradley Law

We wish each of them the very best as they step up to the Bar for the final.

The highlight of the month for many was, of course, our Annual Awards Dinner on Friday 17 April—and what a night it was! Guests were welcomed into a Hollywood‑themed celebration, complete with giant Oscars, Laurel and Hardy, and even Captain Jack Sparrow in attendance. It truly was a star‑studded evening, showcasing the very best of Nottinghamshire’s legal community.

Well done to everyone who was nominated. To receive a nomination means a colleague has taken the time to put your name forward because you are seen as a shining example—each nominee is a winner in our eyes. Congratulations too to our award recipients; we look forward to sharing more about your achievements in our upcoming “Interview with the Award Winners” series.

We have been overwhelmed by the kind messages and emails received since the dinner—thank you. It is incredibly rewarding to hear how much everyone enjoyed the evening.

So, what’s next? Quite a lot—though some plans are still firmly under wraps while we finalise details.

One event I can wholeheartedly recommend, is the Command the Room & Communicate with Confidence Masterclass on Thursday 18 June, led by the brilliant Fiona Duncan‑Steer and Anne Davies. We ran a similar session last autumn and received excellent feedback. It’s a practical, engaging workshop that sharpens skills essential for court, meetings and networking alike—definitely one to book.

Don’t forget to book your Early Bird Discount tickets for the Future Proof Private Client & Family Law Festival on Thursday 4th June!

Finally, a reminder that the AGM is just a few weeks away. If you’re curious to learn more about your local law society or thinking about getting more involved, the AGM is the perfect opportunity. It’s an evening celebrating all we have achieved during 2025–2026 under the leadership of Marie Dancer, as well as marking the handover to Drew Dennis, who will lead us into 2026–2027.

I hope to see many of you there.

Michelle Foster

Head of Operations

Nottinghamshire Law Society