Rhodri Lewis received the award at a presentation ceremony in London attended by senior legal figures from across the UK.
The Lawyer magazine awards have become the leading recognitions for legal excellence in the law industry.
Awards are presented across the private and public sectors, commercial and industrial law and the Bar.
Rhodri Lewis joined the WRU Group in 2010 as Head of Legal Affairs and is responsible for all legal matters in relation to both the WRU and the Millennium Stadium.
He said: “I am extremely honoured and proud to have been selected for this award. I certainly regard this as a reflection of the standards set by all the WRU Group employees.”
WRU Group Chief Executive Roger Lewis, said: “This is a well deserved honour for Rhodri who is both an excellent lawyer and a superb ambassador for the WRU.
“He sets himself high standards and this is reflected in helping us achieve and maintain a reputation for fairness and attention to detail in all our legal affairs and was particularly evident during the recent completion of the Rugby Services Agreement (RSA), which provides a new and positive contractual relationship between the WRU and its four Regions for the next six years.”
WRU Chairman Gareth Davies, added: “I am delighted for Rhodri who is well deserving of this honour which undoubtedly delivers a clear boost to our standing within the legal and commercial community.
“Rhodri manages all our legal matters including areas of corporate governance and his advice is always based on an acute knowledge of both the law and our constitution as a governing body.”
Lewis trained at the international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and qualified with the firm as a Corporate Associate. During his time at Freshfields, his work included advising the London 2012 Olympic Bid Team on the corporate aspects of the bid and drafting documentation in relation to establishing and governing LOCOG, the company responsible for delivering the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In 2005, Lewis joined the Legal Commercial team at UEFA, the governing body of European football, based in Switzerland. During his time at UEFA, Rhodri was responsible for legal commercial matters across all of UEFA’s properties, including media rights, sponsorship and licensing agreements for UEFA EUROs, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. Whilst at UEFA, Rhodri worked at the FIFA 2006 World Cup in Germany and UEFA EURO 2008 in Switzerland and Austria. He also trained and worked as a Venue Director for the UEFA Champions League, managing the stadium on match days.
Before joining the WRU Group, he was the Senior Solicitor at The FA Group, where he was responsible for a broad range of matters in relation to both The Football Association and Wembley Stadium, including sponsorship agreements and media rights agreements in relation to the England football team and The FA Cup.
