# Nu Beta Epsilon

Nu Beta Epsilon (ΝΒΕ) was an American professional Jewish law fraternity.

## History

Nu Beta Epsilon was formed in 1919 at Northwestern University School of Law by Barnet Hodes, with the assistance of Louis Brandeis and Dean Wigmore, as a Greek letter fraternity for Jewish students at accredited law schools. It expanded to other law schools across the United States. It also established an alumni association.
Alpha Kappa Sigma (ΑΚΣ) was a Jewish law fraternity founded by H. Edwin Siff at University of Maryland Law School in 1918. Representatives of the two fraternities met at a convention in Columbus, Ohio in 1939 with Hodes as the keynote speaker. The merger of the two fraternities went into effect in 1940 under the name of the Nu Beta Epsilon group. A. D. G. Cohn of Atlanta was elected as its vice grand chancellor.
Nu Beta Epsilon's quarterly newsletter was The Nu Bete. The fraternity presented three awards each year:
* Barnet Hodes Awards to an alumnus performing outstanding service to the fraternity on a national level
* Ben Rubin Endowment to an undergraduate for scholarship, with the trophy going to his chapter
* National Pledge Essay Award for the best legal essay written by a pledge

## Symbols

Nu Beta Epsilon adopted the seal and motto of the former Nu Beta Epsilon fraternity. Its motto was Nomus Carcilia Esta, meaning "Law is king". Its seal or crest included symbols associated with the legal professional.

## Governance

The Ground Council of the fraternity's annual national convention governed Nu Beta Epsilon.

## Membership

Nu Beta Epsilon was founded as non-sectarian, with no racial membership limitations. Originally male only, its membership became open to women c. 1960. In 1945, it had 850 members. Its membership had grown to 1,750 in 1968.

## Chapter List

The chapters of Nu Beta Epsilon were as follows. Active chapters are indicated in bold. Inactive chapters and institutions are in italics.
| Chapter | Charter date and range | Institution | Location | Status |
| Alpha | 1918 | University of Maryland Law School | Baltimore City, Maryland | Inactive |
| Brandeis | 1919–c. 1935 | Northwestern University Law School | Chicago, Illinois | Inactive |
| Delta | 1919–c. 1965 | Temple University Law School | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Inactive |
| Epsilon | 1919–c. 1963 | Newark Law School | Newark, New Jersey | Inactive |
| Cardozo | 1923 | DePaul University College of Law | Chicago, Illinois | Inactive |
| Benjamin | 1924 | Chicago-Kent College of Law | Chicago, Illinois | Inactive |
| Marshall | 1926 | Washington University School of Law | St. Louis, Missouri | Inactive |
| Chicago | 1929–c. 1963 | University of Chicago Law School | Chicago, Illinois | Inactive |
| Horner | 1921 | University of Illinois Law School | Champaign, Illinois. | Inactive |
| Beta Gamma | 1931 | George Washington University Law School and Georgetown University Law School | Washington, D.C. | Inactive |
| Loyola | 1932–c. 1963 | Loyola University Chicago School of Law | Chicago, Illinois | Inactive |
| Zeta | 1933 | Atlanta Law School, Emory University Law School, Atlanta's John Marshall Law School | Atlanta, Georgia | Inactive |
| Coleman | 1941 | University of Southern California Law School | Los Angeles, California | Inactive |
| Theta | 1946 | University of Miami School of Law | Coral Gables, Florida | Inactive |
| Currie | 1950 | UCLA School of Law | Los Angeles, California | Inactive |
| Warren | September 1966 | University of San Fernando College of Law | San Fernando, California | Inactive |
| Gamma Gamma Lambda | September 1967 | California College of Law | Hollywood, California | Inactive |
| Traynor | | Western State University College of Law | Orange County, California | Inactive |
| Holmes | February 1, 1969 | University of West Los Angeles School of Law | Los Angeles, California | Inactive |
| | September 1969 | John F. Kennedy University | Pleasant Hill, California | Inactive |
| Baker | | Humphrey College | Stockton, California | Inactive |
| Dooley | | Glendale University College of Law | Glendale, California | Inactive |
| Sebring | | Stetson University College of Law | Gulfport, Florida | Inactive |
* ↑ Chapter named for Louis Brandeis.
* ↑ Chapter named for Judah P. Benjamin.
* ↑ Chapter named for Earl Warren.
* ↑ The San Fernando Valley College of Law merged into the University of West Los Angeles in 2002.
* ↑ Chapter named for Roger J. Traynor.
* ↑ Chapter named for Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
* ↑ Chapter is named for Joseph H. Baker, district attorney.
* ↑ In 1927, the chapter was renamed in honor of Raymond G. Dooley, a former faculty member.
* ↑ Chapter named for Harold Sebring.

## Notable members

| Name | Chapter and year | Notability |
| Ellis Arnall | Honorary, 1946 | Governor of Georgia |
| Bernard Baruch | Honorary, 1946 | Financier and statesman |
| Louis Brandeis | Brandeis, 1919 | Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States |
| Raymond Burr | | actor |
| Benjamin N. Cardozo | | Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States |
| Joseph E. Davies | | United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union |
| Paul A. Dorf | | State senator and judge |
| Phillip C. Goldstick | | Member of Illinois General Assembly |
| Barnet Hodes | Brandeis, 1919 | Counsel of the City of Chicago |
| Sam Massell | Alpha, 1936 | Mayor of Atlanta |
| Eurith D. Rivers | Zeta Honorary 1941 | Governor of Georgia |
| John M. Slaton | Zeta Honorary 1941 | Governor of Georgia |
| Harold Washington | | Mayor of Chicago and U.S. House of Representatives |
| Wendel Wilkie | | lawyer, corporate executive, and nominee for President of the United States. |
| Bernard B. Wolfe | | Member of Illinois General Assembly |