The Plymouth Law Society (PLS) has elected Chris Hoile, General Counsel at CDS Superstores, as its president for 2026 at its AGM. Chris is the second in-house lawyer in succession to become president following in the footsteps of Jenny Phillips from Plymouth City Council.
Chris began his legal career at Womble Bond Dickinson in 2013 where he trained and qualified as a solicitor in regulatory and commercial litigation. Chris was initially an active member of the city’s Junior Lawyers Division (JLD) and joined the PLS committee as a newly qualified solicitor in 2018. In 2021, he moved from private practice to become the first in-house lawyer at The Range and his role now includes Wilko and Homebase following the acquisition of both brands by the Plymouth-headquartered organisation.
He will be supported by new vice-president Luke Fisher who is a law lecturer at the University of Plymouth and director and supervising solicitor of its Family Law Clinic.
Commenting on his new role Chris said:
“The society has made significant progress in recent years following concerted efforts by my predecessors to reach out and welcome everyone who works in the city’s legal community. We have more members, official partners and participation but I’d like even more. The reason for that is the law is a serious and demanding profession so we want to be able to support our community and bring a bit of balance with our social events and meetings.”
He continued:
“My own experience shows that you can develop your own professional and social networks from an early stage by getting involved with our JLD and the PLS. Along the way, I’ve met great people who work in many different roles across the profession and developed friendships whilst gathering perspective on our professional lives. I’ve also had some fun along the way! So if you work in a law firm, even if your firm isn’t a member, you are welcome to attend our last Friday drinks every month at The Treasury where you can meet law students, legal assistants, paralegals, trainees, legal executives, solicitors, professional support staff, partners, presidents and past presidents. Follow us on our social channels and get involved, it is one of the best decisions I have made in my career.”
Images (from left to right): Jennifer Philips and Chris Hoile / Chris Hoile
Interested in Joining?
To become a member of Plymouth Law Society simply contact the Treasurer, James Walsh, by emailing [email protected] or by writing to the below postal address:
The Treasurer, Plymouth Law Society, GA Solicitors, 25 Lockyer Street, Plymouth. PL1 2QW
