Law Student Representative: Sydney Basden
As an NCBA law student representative for both the 2024-25 and 2025-26 bar years, Sydney Basden is proud to give law students a chance to step outside the “law school bubble” and learn what it truly means to be a lawyer from some of North Carolina’s kindest and most accomplished attorneys.
Sydney came to law school after working for a few years, driven by her desire to understand the legal world and the “why” behind the way businesses and government intersect with the law. Naturally curious and detail-oriented, she’s found law school at Wake Forest University to be both a challenge and a rewarding experience.
It’s challenged me in so many ways, but I’ve also proven to myself that I can do hard things. Law school is tough and stressful, but I can see how much my writing, research and critical thinking skills have grown in just a few short years. I always tell incoming students two things: 1) law school is difficult, but your professors at Wake Forest Law don’t make it any harder than it has to be, and 2) if something is meant to happen in your law school life or future career, it’ll happen — so take a deep breath and enjoy the experience.
Outside her role as a student representative, Sydney is deeply engaged in the law community. Her law review comment, “The Legality of a ‘Thank You’: A Look at the Federal Government’s Role in Regulating State and Local Government Gratuities,” was accepted for publication and will appear in the Wake Forest Law Review print journal next spring. She also served as a school ambassador during 1L Orientation and is vice president of the Transactional Law Competition, a yearly program that gives students practical experience in contract drafting, redlining and negotiation. That competition was the turning point where Sydney realized she wanted to pursue transactional law. She is very excited to announce that she’s landed a post-graduation position as a Capital Markets associate with Cadwalader, Wickersham and Taft in the Charlotte office!
When she’s not advancing her legal career, Sydney enjoys watching “The West Wing,” reading and spending time with her dog.
Students attending ABA-accredited law schools or provisionally accredited law schools are eligible for complimentary membership in the NCBA Law Student Division. Interested in becoming a member of the Division? Learn more about this free membership.