Dana Denis-Smith

CEO, Obelisk Support. Founder, First 100 Years

“#HumanFirst, Everything Else Comes After” - Dana Denis-Smith.

I am an entrepreneur, ex- lawyer and journalist. I founded Obelisk Support to keep City lawyers, especially mothers, working flexibly, around their family or other personal commitments and to provide clients with an affordable and quality legal support solution onshore. obelisksupport.com has been recognised for its championing and ground-breaking work. I was personally recognised as the 2015 Outstanding Innovator by the Legal Week for "constantly finding new ways to get alternate ways of working accepted and has helped provide a voice of reason in a hotly debated area". Our innovative business model was recognised by the FT Innovative Lawyers Awards and I was named as one of 10 European lawyers shortlisted in the Individual Legal Innovator category.

I am honoured to have been recognised personally for my work. In 2018 I was voted Legal Personality of the Year in 2018 and received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws whilst in 2019 Legal500 recognised me as an Outstanding Woman in Law. Brummell Magazine named me as one of 30 Inspirational Women in the city; I was recognised in the Everywoman Awards 2016. In 2010 I was featured in Management Today magazine’s "35 under 35" list of UK female high flyers. The yearly list features a roll call of the most inspirational businesswomen under the age of 35 in the UK. I am a regular commentator, writer and speaker on issues such as the economic value of human capital, innovation in the professions and the legal sector generally.

In 2014 I founded a unique history project - www.first100years - charting the journey of women in law. This is now the largest national campaign marking the centenary of women in law in 2019.

theattic.london, launched in 2015, is the first online magazine dedicated exploring flexible working in the legal sector @TheAtticLondon

Specialties: future of work; legal sector, emerging markets, flexible work, economic value of talent, working professional women; history of women in law.

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