Student Experience
We endeavour to make sure you have the best experience possible as a Northumbria student. To help you achieve this, there are a range of activities and initiatives to take part in during your time at Northumbria.
Grey Society
The Grey Society was founded over 40 years ago by a group of law students who wished to have more of a say about student affairs. The society has now grown to be the biggest at Northumbria University with nearly 600 members. The aim of the society is to bring the School of Law together as a whole to ensure interaction between the years. This is done through a range of both academic and social events.
Mock Trial Society
The Mock Trial Society is a student run society where law students deliver mock trials in the School's own courtroom, playing the roles of advocates, witnesses, juries and judges. More than 100 have taken part in the society's mock trials.
Woolf Society
The Woolf Society is a student run society focused on improving advocacy skills. The Society runs a series of workshops for advocacy and mooting skills. The Society launched a mooting league which allows students to practice mooting, giving them a chance to improve and get more accustomed to the skills required, unlike a knockout competition. Advocacy weekends give students further opportunities to showcase the skills they've acquired with the workshops and see how what they learn in the classroom translates into the working world. The Society also hosts regular social events to give members a chance to have some fun and as well as meet local professionals.
Debating Society
The Debating Society is a University society organised by law students. Members learn the fundamentals of debating including public speaking, persuading an audience, countering arguments and so on. They have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of debates as proposers, opposers, judges, and participating audience members. It is a great way of finding out about topical issues, making new friends and developing valuable skills for the future.
Human Rights Society
The Human Rights Society campaigns for human rights around the world to protect people wherever justice, fairness, freedom and truth are denied. We also fundraise for Amnesty International and other charities/local organisations.
MARS - Mooting, Advocacy, Research Skills
This society is for those students who would like to improve their advocacy and research skills, gain a little more confidence or just moot for fun. This society is designed to assist students with advocacy and research through large group sessions and mooting leagues. The tailored leagues are not only a useful way of revision but also help put the theory of law into practice.
Student Law Think Tank
The Student Law Think Tank is primarily involved in responding to consultation papers put forward by government bodies such as the Law Commission on areas of law reform that students feel passionate about. Other activities of the Think Tank involve organising guest lectures on areas of law that are being or need to be developed and to suggest reform to government officials on areas of law where there is not yet an open consultation. This society is an opportunity for students to use their voice and express their opinions in the policy making process within the UK.
Mooting
Mooting is a mock courtroom advocacy exercise involving two teams of two students representing opposing sides of a fictitious legal case (the 'moot'). The students are required to research the points of law in support of and contrary to their side of the case and then submit their case in a mock courtroom to a judge, who will be either a member of academic staff, a legal practitioner or a senior student with mooting experience. Mooting has been run as a non-compulsory exercise for many years at Northumbria, at both internal and inter-varsity level, and many students have found that it enhances their legal research and advocacy abilities as well as being an enjoyable competitive exercise.
Bond Dickinson Honour Roll
The purpose behind the Honour Roll is to support and motivate students. The Honour Roll is recognition of academic achievement and thus there is a requirement for students to have passed all assessments at first attempt and achieved an average of 60% or above. The top 10% of students on each year of LLB (Hons)/M Law degrees make the Honour Roll for that year. Sponsored by Bond Dickinson in Newcastle, successful students receive a certificate to confirm their achievement and are also invited to attend a celebratory drinks reception at the Bond Dickinson offices. A place on the Honour Roll is of real value when students apply for training contracts or vacation placements as it enhances CVs and thus employability.
Ben Hoare Bell Contribution Roll
The Contribution Roll is an initiative which celebrates the excellent contribution made by students to the life of the School by way of extra-curricular activities, student representation, involvement in societies and many other ways. Students are nominated by staff and fellow students and the successful ones are selected from a shortlist by a judging panel. Winners of the Contribution Roll, sponsored by Ben Hoare Bell Solicitors, are invited to attend a special ceremony to celebrate their achievement.
Ward Hadaway Bursary
Ward Hadaway has teamed up with Northumbria School of Law to offer two exceptional law students a bursary of £1,000 each towards the cost of their studies in the second and third year of their Exempting degree. During each of those years, the two bursary students will also carry out four weeks of paid work experience at Ward Hadaway's offices at Newcastle's Quayside and in the heart of Leeds and, while a training contract will not be guaranteed, the students will be offered a place at an assessment centre and a final interview.
Irwin Mitchell Scholarship
This annual scholarship is generously made available by national law firm, Irwin Mitchell. The sought-after scholarship goes towards a month-long placement in an overseas law clinic. To date placements have been in Australia and New York.
Prizes
There are also a range of prizes available across all year groups sponsored by firms, barristers' chambers and other organisations.
Guest Lectures/Eldon Lecture Series
We regularly invite influential legal professionals and academics to the School of Law to deliver stimulating lectures and share their experiences of the legal profession with our students and staff.
