Cardiff Law Society President named best in UK

The President of Cardiff University’s Law Society has recently been named Best Law Society President in the UK!

Winky Yu, who is in her 3rd year of studying law at the School of Law and Politics, was named Best Law Society President at the Law Careers.Net Society Awards on 14 March which took place in the London Law Society’s Hall at Chancery Lane.

Winky has been involved with the Law Society as a committee member for two years. She was previously the Competitions Officer during which time she raised over £650 through a fundraising moot competition, alongside other mooting competitions, and workshops. The funds were used to support members of the community in Cardiff with difficulty accessing legal services. She also assisted in the establishment of the Aspiring Barrister Society.

As President this year, Winky has secured sponsorships from all five of the magic circle firms, which is unprecedented for the Society. Before her term started, Winky liaised and negotiated with a range of organisations to source funds for the Society, so that members could attend events at a lower cost. This led to over £10,000 in sponsorship funds, which greatly improved the finance for the Society not only for this year, but for upcoming academic years as well.

Winky is dedicated to building good relationships with the Society’s members, the School of Law and Politics, the University, and external organisations. Under her leadership, the Society has recruited over 600 members and has introduced charity shoutouts in their bi-weekly newsletter to spread awareness of a range of topics including neurodiversity and blood donation. With the President’s international background, the Law Society held cultural events, such as a Lunar New Year dinner and a Sister’s Iftar.

Winky received several nominations from society members and was praised for her approachability, commitment, organisation skills and the way in which she has welcomed peers to the group. She was described as “phenomenal” and “an all-round exceptional leader.”

Speaking about her win, Winky said, “The success of the society depends heavily on the high level of cooperation between committee members. We’re dedicated to providing an all-round experience for our members. It is such a great honour to receive the award and it is truly humbling. Being President of a big society is difficult and stressful, and you have to be constantly ready to put out fires. This award is a great acknowledgement of my effort and struggles throughout the past year, especially as an international student and a first-generation university student.”

The Law Careers.Net Society Awards are open to all universities in the UK and aim to highlight and celebrate the great work that societies at campuses up and down the country do. A student law society can be all things to all people; it is a social hub, a place where members can improve and share their knowledge and understanding of the law and legal industry, a place to develop skills, to contribute to society, to argue and debate, and to have fun.

There are six law-related societies at Cardiff University which include the Law Society, Lawyers Without Borders Society and the Bar Society. Further information can be found on the Cardiff Students’ Union website.