“I'll be the third Welsh president in the Law Society's 200-year history”
Our vice president, Mark Evans, believes being a solicitor is “the best thing that ever happened” to him. From growing up in North Wales to working in private practice and academia, he shares his legal journey – and tells us why he’s so hopeful about the next generation of lawyers.
Growing up, I wanted to be in the police force. But in North Wales in the 1980s, there was a height restriction and you had to be six foot to join. By the time I got to 16, I wasn't tall enough. So, I did my A-levels and decided to do a law degree. Then I had a growth spurt and grew to be more than six-foot!
Because I already had a place to study law at university, I decided to pursue that. No one in my family had worked in law, and I had doubts I could pursue a legal career because of my background, my education and lack of contacts. An interview with a firm in Wrexham led to a job as a trainee – and here I am, 30-odd years later.
In 2010, I joined the committee of the Cheshire and North Wales Law Society. During my presidential year, in 2014, I invited the president of the Law Society of England and Wales at the time, Nick Fluck, to a dinner. We spent two hours talking – it was so inspiring for me.
I had a preconception that to be president of the Law Society, you had to be from a certain background, a certain university or a certain firm. But Nick told me he was from a small, two-partner firm in Lincolnshire, doing exactly the same work as me. He said, “If I can do it, why can't you?” That advice planted a seed for me, and got me thinking maybe I could do it too.
Watch Mark's story about a conversation he had with his mum the day after that event in 2014:
In 2015, I joined the national Law Society as the Council member for North Wales. At that time, I was a fee earner working long hours as a director and manager. But COVID-19 changed everything for me. I reset my career and became a lecturer, which gave me more free time to pursue the leadership opportunities on Council.
“If anyone wants to join Council, or is thinking about it, I'd simply say: do it!”
It doesn't matter what your background is. If you've got that passion, you want to make a difference and have got views that you want to express, then join the Council and see what changes you can make. You don't have to meet any criteria other than being a solicitor and being either representative of your geographic area, work sector area or your characteristic.
As the office holders, we want to make sure that we're using the skills of the people in the room. So, if somebody has a specific area of expertise or knowledge, we would want to call upon them to express that view.
But equally, when you've got a Council of 97 members, you're not going to have everyone agreeing the same thing. That's good because there's a lively debate. But it's done in a manner and a framework that is always civilised, polite and respectful.
2025 is the 200-year anniversary of the Law Society and there’s so much to be excited about. I'm looking forward to meeting our members around the country at the different celebration events, as well as at international events. It will be a springboard to gauge what our members are saying.
I'm absolutely delighted that in our bicentenary year we're going to have an English and a Welsh president. Richard is president until October, then I will take the reins. I'll be the third Welsh president in the Law Society's 200-year history. As a proud Welshman, I'm really looking forward to flying the flag for Wales.
Leading the profession into the next 200 years is a huge privilege. I'm so excited about moving into the next bicentenary and championing my own themes. I'd love law to be taught at an early stage in primary and secondary schools. Coming from my background, I’m eager to encourage more people to think about a career in law. I'd love to see how we could make law a career of choice for everyone.
Play to hear Mark's top advice for solicitors at any stage of their career:
I’m also keen to promote mental health and wellbeing. I think it's important for the profession to have that conversation. I’m not saying we'll have the answers for everything, but opening up the discussion and creating support mechanisms is crucial to me.
I founded LegalRunner after discovering running was a a great release and escape for me. I used to play a lot of sport in school, but stopped as work and family commitments took over. I was feeling mentally drained and exhausted.
In 2019, I decided to go to the gym with my wife and she introduced me to her instructor, who was an ex-army officer. To begin with, I couldn't manage a 10-minute run on a treadmill. But within a year, I built up to a full marathon. I'm not fast, but it's something I enjoy. Connecting with other legal professionals through running has become a passion of mine.
Being a solicitor is the best thing that has happened to me. It’s allowed me to meet and help so many people.
Now, I’m a lecturer at the University of Law, and I'm meeting the next generation of lawyers. They are talking about moving in-house, into media law and adapting to technology. Seeing their enthusiasm and passion gives me hope that we're in safe hands moving forward.
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