Draft:Nicholas Bacon Law Society

The Nicholas Bacon Law Society (NBLS) is the law society of Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge. The law society is named after Elizabethan Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, and former member of the college, Sir Nicholas Bacon.



The society was founded in 1972 to serve as a link between the college and alumni, and to give current students at the college greater access to opportunities in the legal industry. Students at the college, aided by the activities of the law society, regularly partake in mooting competitions, including the annual Varsity moot between Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and their sister college, Corpus Christi College, Oxford. The competition takes place alongside the other events of the 'Corpus Challenge', a day of competition between the two colleges.

Law at Corpus
There are typically 5-7 law undergraduates in each year at Corpus, as well as a number of postgraduate students. Each undergraduate, in line with the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge teaching practices, receives supervision teaching provided by the college, in addition to the lectures provided by faculty.

Membership 

All law undergraduate and graduate students are automatically members of the NBLS, and some of the events are open to non-law students also. Any non-law student who goes on to practice or study the law is eligible automatically for membership, which is free of charge for all.

Academic awards

As is customary at most Oxbridge colleges, Corpus Christi awards prizes to students who perform particularly well in Tripos examinations, or writing dissertations of notable quality. As per the charity statutes of the Nicholas Bacon fund, the fund makes 3 awards: The Simon Maccoby Award, The Stuart Smith family award, and the Randle Feilden award; all on an annual basis. Further, Corpus Christi College awards, also annually, the Simmons and Simmons award (awarded on the advise of the Director of Studies), and the Alistair Saunders Prize in Law (for distinction in the study of law).

Events
The society host events throughout the year for students and fellows of the college, including onboarding sessions in freshers week for the undergraduate students, dinners with solicitors firms, the annual NBLS alumni dinner in lent term, and a garden party after exams in easter term.

The annual NBLS dinner

The annual dinner is preceded by a moot competition; the first year law students at Corpus compete in a moot competition before a senior judge and Corpus alumni, in 2024 Lord Justice Stuart-Smith, with the winner receiving a prize during the dinner. Mooting forms an integral part of the experience of studying law at Cambridge, and Corpus has a reputation for success in University wide competitions.

The dinner is the main event in the NBLS calendar, usually taking place near the end of Lent term, the second term in the academic year at the University of Cambridge. The dinner is open to law students at Corpus, both undergrad and postgrad, law fellows of the college, and Corpus Christi alumni who are either studying or practicing law around the world.

The dinner begins with speeches from esteemed guests and fellows. The dinner often recognises specific milestones in the history of the society, such as the 50th Anniversary Dinner, or the college, such as the marking of 40 years (2023/24) since women were admitted to Corpus (this saw Professor Janet O'Sullivan, of Selwyn College, Cambridge, deliver a speech). It is an opportunity for members of the college, past and present, to socialise, and for current students to hear from those already in the legal industry.

Nicholas Bacon Fund
The Nicholas Bacon Fund, separate but linked to the society, was founded by a group of NBLS members in 2006, led by Sir Terence Etherton, to provide financial assistance to law students at Corpus. Today, it provides scholarships to current students to prevent financial inhibitions to studying law at Corpus, as well as funding prizes to those students who perform particularly well in Tripos exams, and purchasing core topic textbooks for all students.