Michelle's News - October 2025

October Bulletin – A Month of Milestones, Memories & Momentum

October is here… Goose Fair has come and gone, and the rollercoaster of a busy Society diary is officially underway!

September Highlights

We kicked off the month by welcoming the first cohort of PSC delegates from our member firms—Clarendon Law, Gregsons, NLS Legal, Roythornes, and Tallents.  It’s always a joy to see trainees at the start of their journey, knowing they’ll grow into confident, qualified professionals.  I often reflect on my early days at Nottinghamshire Law Society—over eight years ago now—and smile when I see how far those first PSC delegates have come in their careers.

We also hosted the second of our Chat & Chill sessions at Fothergills, which was very well attended.  Keep an eye out for the next one with President Marie Dancer—it promises to be another great opportunity to connect informally.

The Big Birthday Bash – Mamma Mia Party

What a night!

Held at The Big Shed, this was the party we didn’t know we needed!  We rocked all the ABBA anthems in true ABBA style.  Huge thanks to Sam and the team at Trent Navigation for hosting a fabulous event, to Little Princess Entertainment for their brilliant performance, and to Jay Glenn and Dan Lambourne for capturing it all on film and in photos.  If you haven’t seen the pictures yet—check them out here!

Connecting Across the Country

On Thursday 2nd October, we headed to Birmingham for the autumn lunch with fellow local law societies of England and Wales.  It was fantastic to see new faces from Doncaster, Liverpool, and Surrey, alongside our friends from Cornwall, Derby, Northamptonshire, Bournemouth, Hampshire, Hertfordshire and Birmingham.  These meetings are rich with conversation, ideas on executive progression, events, sponsorship initiatives, and how best we can serve our members.

Celebrations & Collaborations

On Saturday 4th October, I joined Larken & Co at the Newark Rugby. A great afternoon catching up and re-connecting with legal professionals of the past. Unfortunately, luck was not on the boots of the Newark team, as they lost to Matlock.

On Monday 6th October, I was invited to a lovely lunch with Clarendon Law to celebrate the mid-autumn Festival—a delicious Chinese buffet, great conversation, and meaningful networking.

On Wednesday 8th October, the National Justice Museum celebrated its 30th anniversary.  Alongside Vice President Drew Dennis and Deputy Vice President Aldijana Hoad, we joined the celebrations, enjoyed a mock trial of John Fenton (brilliantly played by High Sheriff Ed Attenborough), and reflected on the incredible work the National Justice Museum does.  Stepping outside and looking up at the beautiful buildings around us reminded me just how deeply rooted our legal history is in this city.



Competitions Launched

On Thursday 9th October, we officially launched our legal competitions at Revs De Cuba, thank you to Naomi De Silva, Jane Ching, Jane Jarman for presenting alongside Drew Dennis. Thanks also to those Shannon Mould, Dominic Parisutham, Joseph Collis and Jade Bradley for representing the NJLD and supporting the competitions. The competitions are:

Annual Awards Nominations Open

It’s that time of year again, when we open up nominations for the 2026 Annual Awards – in this bulletin you will see the inspiring interviews from Solicitor of the Year, Partner of the Year and Team of the Year. If you know a team, or a colleague that deserves that nomination then – go ahead and make that nomination!


What’s Ahead in October

  • Tuesday 14th October: ED&I Committee Drop-In Drinks at the Crafty Crow from 6pm. Pop by if you're free!
  • Charity Scavenger Hunt has been launched for half-term fun. This is the first fundraising event for the President’s Charity, The Wolfpack Project, with an excellent prize from Binks Yard up for grabs!
  • Tuesday 22nd October: Legal Futures Reception at the National Justice Museum—celebrating those starting out in their legal careers.
  • Wednesday 23rd October: Diwali Celebration at MemSaab.  Expect an incredible Indian feast, stunning décor, and relaxed networking.
  • Monday 28th October: In-house networking evening at Box.  If you know someone who’d like to join, please e-introduce them to me!
  • Tuesday 29th October:
  • Morning: Panel Q&A for aspiring solicitors at Nottingham Law School
  • Afternoon: Roundtable discussion on SQE, in collaboration with The Law Society and Nottingham Law School.  Get in touch if you'd like to attend.

New Collaboration

We’ve launched a fantastic partnership with RSViP, starting with a masterclass - Confidence in Communication Skills featuring Anne Davis (East Midlands Today) and Fiona Duncan Steer (RSViP).  This is a brilliant opportunity to sharpen your advocacy, meeting, and public speaking skills with expert guidance. The masterclass is being held at Six on Thursday 6th November – book your place today!

As you can see, it’s a packed month—and we’d love to see you at our events. At some point, I’ll be carving out a little birthday ‘me’ time… but until then, happy October!


Michelle Foster

Head of Operations

Nottinghamshire Law Society