Spotlight on Adrienne Donneky
Head of the Family team in Cardiff and Partner, Adrienne Donneky makes things happen. From speaking up to secure her training contract to looking after 40,000 attendees at a Scout Jamboree, Adrienne is a natural problem-solver.
We talk to Adrienne about how she supports her clients through life’s hardest moments, and how her lifelong love of Scouting has shaped her life and taught her valuable skills she brings into the workplace.
How did you start your journey into law?
Growing up, my older sister and I had it impressed upon us by our parents that if you want to get on in life, you have to work hard at school and get good exam results. I came from a working-class family; my dad had a job in the printing industry, and my mum took on the traditional role of homemaker, which is more unusual these days. We lived in Kent, just inside Greater London, close to both town and countryside—the best of both worlds. I attended a small village primary school, followed by the local comprehensive school.
While I was studying for my A-levels, I didn’t know what I wanted to do and had picked a strange mix of arts, science, and humanities subjects. However, when I started looking into university courses and realised you didn’t need specific A-level subjects to apply for a law degree, I saw an opportunity. Following my results, I secured a place on a London University law degree to be studied externally at the Swansea Institute of Higher Education. I picked Swansea because, from my research, it was close to the sea and far enough away from Kent that my parents wouldn’t be able to just turn up!
Thankfully, in those days, student grants existed. I was able to get by on the government grant with just a little help from my parents, as my dad had retired by then. With my parents’ advice ringing in my ears, I studied hard, attaining the highest grades on my course in my second year. My diligence paid off when I was accepted at Cardiff University for the one-year Legal Practice Course (LPC) after my degree, putting me on the career path to qualify as a solicitor. However, once I had completed my studies, it took quite a long time to secure a training contract because it was so competitive.
“To get on in life, you have to work hard at school and get good exam results.”
Is it true you had to demand your first training contract?
My entry into the legal sector came about by chance. I was living back at home in Kent and working temporarily as a data entry clerk for a property company to help clear my student debts. When I mentioned I had a law degree, the owner, a retired solicitor herself, helped me get a foot in the door with the small high-street practice that dealt with her conveyancing (and had taken over her practice when she retired). It wasn’t a trainee position—I was an assistant to the conveyancing partner—but I did pretty much anything anyone asked and tried to make myself indispensable! It was a close-knit team, and we all supported each other in our roles.
After a couple of years, the practice was doing very well, needed another qualified conveyancing lawyer, and was on the point of advertising. The conveyancing partner said to me, “I don’t need you to help me with property work anymore because I am going to recruit a qualified lawyer. Would you mind being a secretary?” I felt disappointed, as it seemed this was going to mean a backward step in my career. The firm had never had a trainee solicitor, and I don’t think the partner even realised it was something I was hoping would happen. I replied, “Actually, what I would like is a training contract!” and after discussion with the other partners, the firm agreed to train me. I was so pleased and relieved that I had spoken up for myself and got my career on track!
During my training, I really enjoyed the family law work and had an excellent teacher and mentor in a senior family solicitor and Deputy District Judge. Family law also happened to be my last seat. At the end of my two years of training, the partners told me to keep my cases because they were keeping me on as a newly qualified solicitor! I had a big party with all my family, friends, and work colleagues. It felt amazing to have reached that career milestone and was something I could never have imagined a few years earlier. Luck had played a part in getting my foot in the door in the first place, but I had worked hard from the bottom up and I was finally qualified.
“I was offered the position of a secretary. Instead, I persuaded them to give me a training contract.”
What brought you back to Wales and to Geldards?
After working as a solicitor for a year post-qualification, I jetted off to Australia and New Zealand on my own on a one-way ticket, not knowing when I would be back. One minute I was in a solicitor’s office and the next I was working on a melon farm in remote Australia. Over the next 16 months, I circumnavigated Australia on land, driving outback roads, working in remote places, but also enjoying the beaches and surf. Eventually, the money and my visa ran out, and it was time to return home to Kent, where I briefly returned to work as a property lawyer. The firm I had trained at was happy to take me back, and I started work the day after I stepped off the plane. After about a year, I returned to my real passion—family law, which I found so much more interesting than property law.
I happily spent the next decade or more working as a family lawyer in Kent, and it was only when I met my husband, who lived in Wales, that life came full circle. Sixteen years after finishing my LPC in Cardiff, I moved back to Wales. Then, in 2023, I joined Geldards as Head of the Family team in Cardiff. I never imagined when I left Wales shortly after qualifying in 1995 that I would end up as a Partner in a Cardiff law firm!
Why family law?
I am a people person, and I find family law to be deeply interesting work. Divorce and separation can be one of the most challenging times in people’s lives, but I enjoy helping clients resolve the issues that arise. My role is to help people achieve the best possible outcome for them and their children and to enable them to move on with their lives, whether that involves dividing assets, sorting out arrangements for their children, or both.
Often, I see clients who are worried, frightened, and don’t know which way to turn. Some are extremely nervous when they first come to see me, so I try to put them at ease. I explain the different ways to sort things out, such as mediation, arbitration, negotiation between solicitors, or going through the court system. I also try to give them an indication of the range of likely outcomes when we first meet, giving them the confidence to move forward.
Being a family lawyer is essentially about problem-solving and trying to resolve things proportionately and cost-effectively. It can be very challenging at times, but I love helping people and find it fascinating; people’s lives are inherently interesting.
“I am not a therapist, but an important part of my job is providing clients with emotional support and constant reassurance.”
You are known for your commitment to business development; why is it so vital?
A big part of my role is business development, and I spend a lot of time at different types of events, building relationships with other professionals such as financial advisors, investment managers, and accountants. I really enjoy that aspect of my role. Sometimes I offer to speak at events—what better way to reach a room full of people than giving a talk on prenuptial agreements or wealth protection? If I could spend all my time networking, I would—perhaps I should have gotten a job in marketing!
A lot of work comes into the family team from personal referrals, and the more clients we do a first-class job for, the more people will recommend us. Referrals from other departments within the firm are also vital, and I work hard to constantly maintain a presence in the local business community.
“If I could spend all my time networking, I would—perhaps I should have got job in marketing!”
What keeps you motivated after all this time?
I would hate to work in isolation and am lucky to lead a lovely team. In family law, there’s always more than one way to do something, so we often collaborate within the team on the best approach for different scenarios. Often, it’s a case of presenting various options to the client, talking them through the pros and cons, and ultimately helping them to reach a decision and choose the path they want to take.
Every day is different. I might be meeting a new client, asking questions to understand every aspect of their circumstances in order to advise them properly, examining disclosure, formulating an offer, or preparing a case for a hearing in court proceedings. I always make time to check in with the team—not to micromanage their cases, but to provide oversight and support and to ensure everyone is okay. I have always enjoyed nurturing junior staff. When I ask someone junior in the team to undertake a task, I always try to explain why we are doing it and how it fits into the bigger picture to help their development.
We strive to do the very best for our clients. You have to sensitively cut through clients’ emotions, think straight for them, give them the right advice, and ultimately try to get the best outcome for them. Managing clients’ expectations from the beginning is always important, and a good outcome often sets them on the road toward a fresh start and a happier future.
“I would hate to work in isolation.”
Your main passion outside of work is Scouting. How did you get involved in that?
Guiding and Scouting have been big parts of my life, as I have been involved with these voluntary organisations since childhood and throughout adulthood. It’s been a great way to meet new friends, contribute to my local community, extensively develop my skillset, and travel internationally. Over the last 30 years as a volunteer, I have helped run a Guide Unit, Venture Scout Unit, and Cub pack. I currently help out at the youngest sections of Scouting, Squirrels and Beavers, in my local area whenever I can. So, that’s how I spend my Friday evenings!
I have also taken a large number of young people abroad to Austria and Switzerland and been involved in the organisation and management of several large-scale international camps in the UK.
On two occasions, I attended the World Scout Jamboree as a member of the International Service Team (the volunteers who make the event happen). The first international event I attended was in Thailand in 2002. There were over 30,000 Scouts in attendance from almost every country around the globe. I had the great honour of meeting the King of Sweden as a member of the formal reception staff!
My second Jamboree took place closer to home in Chelmsford, Essex, in 2007. There, 40,000 Scouts gathered to celebrate 100 years of Scouting in the UK, where the movement originated. At the latter event, I was the assistant manager of the security and safety team for the camp, which involved liaising with the police and making sure over 40,000 people were safe—no pressure! Every day, I had to triage a whole host of issues and problems, and you never knew what would happen next. I loved it, and at one point, I thought I could give up the law and happily become a police officer!
“At one point, I thought I could give up the law and happily become a police officer!”
Has Scouting become a family tradition?
Absolutely. As soon as my children were old enough, I thought, “They’ve got to be in Scouts.” They progressed through Beavers and Cubs and are now Scouts, learning new skills and enjoying hiking, canoeing, sailing, climbing, and abseiling. They recently spent a weekend at the ‘All Wales Scout Camp’ alongside 2,000 fellow Scouts. Now they are older, I can only help out with Squirrels and Beavers rather than Scouts, as apparently it would be far too embarrassing for them to have their mother helping out at their sessions!
Scouting has brought so many incredible people into my life, and I have made lifelong friendships. I met my best friend and my husband at different Scout camps. Scouting has moulded me as a person, giving me many different skills and attributes which I use in my working life every day. I believe it even gave me the confidence to travel to Australia and New Zealand all those years ago, on my own on a one-way ticket.
It’s been almost twenty years since the World Scout Jamboree in 2007, and I am pleased (and excited!) to have been selected as part of the UK Contingent of the International Service Team attending the next World Scout Jamboree, which takes place in Poland in summer 2027. I am just starting to fundraise for the trip because it is quite expensive to attend. The Jamboree fee for each country is set taking into account each country’s GDP; ultimately, this means participants from richer countries help fund the cost for participants from poorer countries to ensure the event is accessible to all nations.
I can’t wait to be involved in another World Jamboree and once again have the chance to meet and make friends with people from all over the world.
“Scouting has moulded me and given me the confidence to travel the world.”