NATASHA GODSIFF
(Law, 2017)
Natasha was a high-achieving law student at Corpus, graduating in the top 1 percent of her cohort and receiving several academic awards, including the Bishop Green Cup, Foundation Scholarship, Saunders/Lawton Prize, and the 3 Verulam Buildings Prize.
During her time at Corpus, Natasha particularly enjoyed Human Rights, International and Criminal Law. She published articles in the Cambridge University Law Society's Per Incuriam, focusing on the legal challenges surrounding domestic abuse during COVID-19, and the failure of the International Criminal Court to prosecute sexual- and gender-based violence.
Natasha was also Vice Chair of the College’s Nicholas Bacon Law Society. “Attending the NBLS Annual Dinner remains one of the highlights of my year,” she reveals.
Passionate about using the law as a tool to advocate for social change, Natasha is engaged in several voluntary projects. During her studies, Natasha was the Pro Bono Coordinator for the Cambridge University Law Society with the aim of creating sustainable and impactful pro bono projects. In recognition of her voluntary work, Natasha was awarded the Vice-Chancellor's Social Impact Award, LawWork's Access to Justice Foundation Award (Highly Commended), and the Cambridge Pro Bono Platinum Award for over 100 pro bono hours in 2020-21.
Since graduating from Cambridge, Natasha received the Diana Award, the most prestigious accolade a young person can receive for their social action or humanitarian work. Projects she has supported include Humanitarian Affairs Asia's Green Summit, a women's shelter for domestic violence Agatha Amani House in Naivasha, Kenya, the United Nations’ Office of the Special Coordinator on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in New York, and the Excellence Centre in Hebron, Palestine.
Natasha is now a trainee solicitor at Clifford Chance, with a particular interest in litigation and dispute resolution, business and human rights, and environmental, social and governance work. She is currently on a secondment to the Lifescape Project, bringing strategic litigation to hold governments and companies to account in relation to their environmental duties
Natasha remains actively involved in several voluntary initiatives and is also co-Founder of Jabali, a UK charity developing an education and empowerment programme for survivors at sexual and domestic violence shelters in Kenya, supporting them to transition back into the community and become financially independent.
Professor Jonathan Morgan, Fellow and Director of Studies in Law, said of Natasha, "She is going to be a leading lawyer of her generation."
“Attending the NBLS Annual Dinner remains one of the highlights of my year.”