Meet the New DDLS Committee for the Year Ahead 2026/2027

Oct 5

5 min read

A strong local Law Society depends on more than a name. It depends on people who give their time, share their experience, and help create a legal community that feels connected, visible, and supported.

The Doncaster & District Law Society is delighted to introduce its newly elected committee for the year ahead. The committee brings together legal professionals from across the local area, united by a shared aim: to represent and support members, promote the local legal profession, and create meaningful opportunities for the Doncaster and District legal community to come together.

This year’s committee includes familiar faces, new energy, and a clear commitment to serving members with care and purpose. This year is extra special because it is our Society's 90th Birthday.

Tracie Croft - Junior Vice-President President - Samantha Downes Vice President - Amy Holland Tuleva

Legal work can be At demanding. It often requires focus, judgement, and a strong sense of responsibility. A local Law Society gives practitioners a space outside day-to-day work where they can build relationships, exchange ideas, and feel part of something wider than their own caseload or organisation.

For Doncaster and the surrounding district, that local focus matters. The legal profession plays an important role in the area’s civic, commercial, and personal life. Solicitors, barristers, legal executives, trainees, paralegals, and support professionals all contribute to access to justice and to the smooth running of personal and business affairs.

The committee’s task is to help bring that community together.

The newly elected DDLS committee

The Society is pleased to introduce the committee members who will serve for the year ahead.

Role	Committee member
President	Samantha Downes
Vice President & Membership Officer	Amy Holland-Tuleva
Junior Vice President	Tracie Croft
Secretary	Diane Parker
Treasurer	Sarah Naylor
Public Relations Officer	Olivia Rogers
Social Officer	Emma Beazley
Assistant Officer to Social & Public Relations	Olivia Hall
Political Liaison & Sponsorship Officer	Liam Bawden
Committee Members	Richard Lozano, Jessica Campbell and Billy Jones

Each role plays a part in the running of the Society. Some posts focus on governance and continuity. Others focus on membership, events, communications, sponsorship, or engagement with wider professional issues.

Together, they form a committee that can look after the practical work of the Society while keeping sight of its bigger purpose.

That balance matters. A successful local Law Society needs structure, but it also needs warmth. It needs minutes, accounts, planning, and communication, but it also needs conversation, welcome, and a clear sense that members are valued.

The new committee will continue that work over the coming year.

What each role helps the Society do

A committee list can look formal at first glance. Behind each title sits a practical contribution to the Society’s work.

The President, Samantha Downes, provides leadership for the year ahead. The President helps set the tone for the Society, chairs key discussions, represents DDLS where needed, and supports the wider committee in delivering its aims.

The Vice President & Membership Officer, Amy Holland-Tuleva, combines two important responsibilities. As Vice President, Amy supports the President and helps provide continuity. As Membership Officer, she also has a key role in encouraging engagement, welcoming members, and helping the Society understand what members need from DDLS.

The Junior Vice President, Tracie Croft, forms part of the leadership structure and helps build future continuity for the Society. This role supports committee activity now while helping ensure the Society remains steady in the years to come.

The Secretary, Diane Parker, helps keep the Society organised. The Secretary’s work often sits behind the scenes, but it is essential. Records, agendas, correspondence, and clear communication all help the committee function well.

The Treasurer, Sarah Naylor, looks after the Society’s financial administration. Good financial oversight allows the Society to plan responsibly, support events, and manage funds with care.

The Public Relations Officer, Olivia Rogers, helps share the Society’s work with members and the wider community. Clear communication matters, especially when members are balancing busy professional lives. Strong public relations can also help raise awareness of the value of the local legal profession.

The Social Officer, Emma Beazley, leads on opportunities for members to meet, connect, and enjoy time together. Social events are not just pleasant extras. They help build relationships, welcome newer members, and strengthen professional links across the district.

The Assistant Officer to Social & Public Relations, Olivia Hall, supports both the social and communications sides of the Society’s work. This role helps bring together two areas that often overlap, especially when events, updates, and member engagement all need careful planning.

The Political Liaison & Equality Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Liam Bawden, supports the Society’s links with wider civic and professional matters, while also helping with sponsorship relationships. This work can help the Society maintain a strong voice and create opportunities that benefit members.

Committee Members Richard Lozano, Jessica Campbell, and Billy Jones add further experience, support, and ideas. Committee members play an important role in discussions, planning, and delivery. Their contribution helps ensure the Society reflects a range of views from across the local profession.

Promoting the local legal profession

One of the Society’s key aims is to promote the local legal profession. That work matters because legal professionals often carry out vital work quietly.

They help people buy homes, plan for the future, resolve disputes, care for families, build businesses, manage risk, and protect rights. Much of this work happens away from public view, but its effect is felt across the community.

By bringing local practitioners together and raising the profile of the profession, DDLS helps show the value of legal services in Doncaster and the surrounding district. It also helps remind members that they are part of a wider professional community with shared standards, shared challenges, and shared reasons to be proud of their work.

Promotion is not just about visibility. It is also about confidence.

When the local profession is connected, it becomes easier to share knowledge, encourage new talent, support professional development, and celebrate achievements. It also helps foster a sense of continuity between those entering the profession and those who have helped shape it over many years.

That continuity is one of the strengths of a local Law Society. It creates a link between past, present, and future.

Creating opportunities to connect

The year ahead offers a chance to build on the Society’s work and continue creating opportunities for members to connect.

Connection can be formal or informal. It may happen at Society events, through committee updates, during conversations between members, or through shared support for local professional initiatives. What matters is that members feel welcome and aware of the opportunities available to them.

The committee’s social and public relations work will play an important part here. Clear updates help members know what is happening. Well-planned events help members take part. A welcoming tone helps people feel comfortable attending, especially if they are new to the Society or do not yet know many other members.

Thank you to our members

The Society extends its sincere thanks to all members for their continued support.

Membership is what gives DDLS its purpose. The committee can organise, plan, and communicate, but the Society comes to life through the people who attend, contribute, encourage others, and remain involved.

The year ahead is an opportunity to keep building that shared community. With Samantha Downes as President, supported by Amy Holland-Tuleva, Tracie Croft, Diane Parker, Sarah Naylor, Olivia Rogers, Emma Beazley, Olivia Hall, Liam Bawden, Richard Lozano, Jessica Campbell, and Billy Jones, DDLS looks forward to continuing its work on behalf of members and the local profession.

There is much to look forward to, and the committee is excited for the year ahead.

Thank you for supporting the Doncaster & District Law Society. We look forward to seeing what the year brings and to continuing to bring the local legal community together.