UCL Faculty of Laws

UCL Faculty of Laws
MottoUCL's Inclusive Law School
Established1827
Parent institution
University College London
DeanProfessor Eloise Scotford
Academic staff
90
Undergraduates650
Postgraduates390
Location
Bentham House, London, United Kingdom
Websitewww.ucl.ac.uk/laws

The UCL Faculty of Laws is the law school of University College London (UCL), itself part of the federal University of London. It is one of UCL's 11 constituent faculties and is based in London, United Kingdom.[1]

It is one of the world's leading law schools,[2][3][4] ranked 1st in the UK for Law in the 2024 Guardian University Guide,[5] 1st in the 2025 Times' Good University Guide,[6] 2nd in the 2024 Complete University Guide,[7] and 6th globally in the 2022 Times Higher Education World University Rankings for Law.[8] In the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise, the Faculty of Laws was ranked 1st in the United Kingdom for the quality of its research.[9]

With a history dating back to 1827, the Faculty was the first law school in England to admit students regardless of their religion, the first to admit women on equal terms with men, the first to award a law degree to a woman, Eliza Orme, and appointed one of the first three female law professors in the UK, Valentine Korah, who pioneered the study of competition law in Europe.

The Faculty currently has a student body comprising around 650 undergraduates, 350 taught graduates and around 40 research (MPhil/PhD) students and offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate degrees.[10] It publishes a number of journals, including Current Legal Problems and the UCL Journal of Law and Jurisprudence. It is the only university in the UK to hold a legal aid contract, which forms part of its Integrated Legal Advice Clinic (iLAC).[11]

Notable alumni of the Faculty include Mahatma Gandhi (leader of the Indian independence movement), Chaim Herzog (President of Israel 1983–1993), John Stuart Mill (philosopher and MP), Sir Ellis Clarke (President of Trinidad and Tobago 1976–1986), Lord Woolf (Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales 2000–2005), Lord Goldsmith QC (Attorney General for England and Wales 2001–2007), Terry Davis (Secretary General of the Council of Europe 2004–2009), Taslim Olawale Elias (President of the International Court of Justice 1979–1985) and Chao Hick Tin (Attorney General of Singapore 2006–2008; Judge of Appeal 1999–2006 and 2008–2017).

  1. ^ "The Academic Units of UCL". UCL Academic Services. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
  2. ^ http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2015/law-legal-studies#sorting=rank+region=+country=+faculty=+stars=false+search=>McCall, Alastair (19 September 2008). "Double first for Oxford". London: Times Online. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
  3. ^ "RAE 2008: law results". The Guardian. London. 18 December 2008. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
  4. ^ Paton, Graeme (9 October 2009). "Oxford beaten by UCL in league table". London: The Telegraph. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
  5. ^ "Best UK universities for law – league table". the Guardian. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  6. ^ "UK university league table 2025". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  7. ^ "Law Subject League Table 2025". www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  8. ^ "Law". Top Universities. 10 May 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  9. ^ UCL (12 May 2022). "UCL Laws is rated top law school for research excellence in the UK in REF 2021". UCL Faculty of Laws. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  10. ^ "About UCL Laws". UCL Faculty of Laws. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
  11. ^ UCL (13 July 2022). "UCL Integrated Legal Advice Clinic recognised with Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year award". UCL News. Retrieved 15 September 2024.