UCL 200 at Laws
Milestones that have shaped us
A look back at the defining moments that have guided our growth, inspired our mission, and shaped who we are today.
Dean's Welcome
It is an extraordinary moment for UCL Laws as we mark 200 years of legal education. Since the introduction of two chairs in law in 1826–28 when Professors John Austin and Andrew Amos laid the foundations of modern legal philosophy and teaching, UCL Laws has consistently challenged convention and pushed boundaries, leading us to our place today as a globally leading legal institution.
Our history is defined not only by firsts, such as admitting women and international students in the 19th century, but also by the people who have carried the values of UCL Laws into the world. Generations of students have become judges, lawyers, policymakers, campaigners, academics, and leaders, shaping law and society in every corner of the globe.
That legacy is very much alive in our students and academics today. Each year, our students impress us with their achievements, motivation, and commitment to making a difference, whether through national moot court victories, expanding access to justice, or contributing to international organisations around the world. Our world-renowned faculty continue to pursue innovative research and thought leadership that not only advances legal knowledge but also drives meaningful change in society, shaping policy, influencing debates, and addressing some of the most pressing legal, social, and ethical challenges of our time.
As we celebrate this remarkable milestone, we reflect with pride on the contributions of our community and the values that have sustained us for two centuries. But our bicentenary is also a call to imagine what comes next. Noting the vital social function law schools play in democratic societies, we will continue to sustain and build our law school in line with our values, welcoming staff and students of all backgrounds to enrich our intellectual life, creating opportunities for all to thrive, developing our curriculum to create the very best lawyers, and creating the conditions for producing excellent and purposeful research in a rapidly evolving and complex world.
Warm wishes,
Eloise Scotford
Dean and Professor of Environmental Law
1826
The University of London, which would later become UCL, is founded. This included the creation of two Chairs in Law.
Image: College Archives. Plans - University College London Building. London University - Portico & section by William Wilkins, 1826.
1827
Appointment of John Austin as Professor of Jurisprudence and the Law of Nations, and Andrew Amos as Professor of English Law.
Image: The first page of Professor John Austin's Tables of Jurisprudence
1828
Andrew Amos delivers the university’s first law lectures, continuing until 1834.
Image: College Archives- Portico at night. Mounted photograph showing the Wilkins Building Portico floodlit at night, 12th May 1937.
1829
John Austin begins lectures from 1829 until 1833, and resigns in 1835.
Image: The first page of Professor John Austin's Tables of Jurisprudence
1832
Creation of the Faculty of Arts and Laws.
Image: London University from Old Gower Mews (1835) painted by George Sidney Shepherd
1836
New Charter: London University is reconstituted with two constituent Colleges, University College and King’s College, and receives degree awarding powers.
Image: The 1836 Royal Charter, UCLCA/7, UCL Special Collections, supplied by UCL Educational Media.
1839
First LLB degrees awarded: to John Quain (later Judge of the Queen’s Bench); John Charles Carr (later Chief Justice of Sierra Leone); Robert Russell (later Registrar of the Chancery in Jamaica).
Image: The March of Intellect, caricature from Augustine Birrell, Sir Frank Lockwood: A Biographical Sketch, 2nd ed., London, 1898, p. 58—Quain is fourth from the right.
1863
Graduation of Herbert Hardy: Later First Baron Cozens-Hardy, Master of the Rolls.
Image: Lord Herbert Hardy Cozens-Hardy, 1st Bt ('Judges. No. 61.') by Sir Leslie Ward, published in Vanity Fair 24 January 1891
1880
Graduation of Thomas Edward Scrutton: Later Lord Justice Scrutton. Scrutton is also a Professor in Constitutional Law from 1883 to 1889.
Image: Sir Thomas Edward Scrutton ('Men of the Day. No. 1285. "Copyright."') by 'Ape Junior', published in Vanity Fair 28 June 1911
1873
First female students admitted to the Jurisprudence class.
Image: A photograph from the Slade Strawberry Tea in 1905
1876
Eliza Orme becomes Hume Scholar: Later the first woman in England to earn a law degree (externally).
Image: Eliza Orme (1889), The Cameron Studio
1882
Frederick Pollock appointed to Chair of Jurisprudence until 1883.
Image: A First Book of Jurisprudence for Students of the Common Law, p.8
1887
Graduation of John Salmond: Later jurist and judge in New Zealand.
Image: Portrait photograph of Sir John Salmond (c. 1900-1909), taken by Mary Greenwood
1887
Richard Quain—former Professor of Anatomy and Surgery at University College, Surgeon at University College Hospital, and President of the Royal College of Surgeons—left a major bequest to University College. It endowed several chairs, including the Quain Professorship of Law, created in honour of his brother Sir John Richard Quain, one of the first three LLB graduates from the University of London (1839). In 1894, T. Raleigh became the first Quain Professor of Comparative and International Law.
Image: Lithograph of Sir Richard Quain, by W. Sharpe
1906
Inter-Collegiate law teaching begins: Joint teaching between UCL, King’s and LSE continues until the mid-1960s.
Image: Official railway map of London and its environs drawn and engraved by J. & W. Emslie (1907)
1908
Foundation of the Faculty of Laws, UCL.
Image: UCL Council Minutes taking the decision to found the Faculty of Laws—p. 60–1 includes the Professorial Board’s recommendation to the University of London Senate on 5 May 1908 to divide the existing faculties into five faculties, including the Faculty of Laws, to which the Senate agreed
1917
Dorothy Bonarjee graduates as UCL’s first female LLB.
Image: Portrait of Dorothy Bonarjee - National Library of Wales Collection | Poem: London by Dorothy Bonarjee, published in the Welsh Outlook in 1916
1938
UCL Faculty of Laws moves into Foster Court.
Image: Foster Court in the late 1940s
1939
Wartime relocation: UCL Faculty of Laws evacuates to Cambridge, before returning to London in 1945.
Image: The ‘Prefatory Note’ to the 1940/1 UCL Calendar
1945
Faculty returns to London.
Image: UCL students and their mascot Phineas join the VE celebrations in central London on 8 May 1945. Image published in New Phineas, Summer 1945
1948
Launch of the Current Legal Problems lecture series: Created to share academic research on pressing legal and social issues to students and the wider public.
Image: CLP Volumes held at Bentham House
1950
Bin Cheng awarded PhD: first doctoral graduate.
Image: Professor Bin Cheng with Zara Brawley, winner of the Cheng Tien-Hsi Prize for Public International Law, 2011
1954
Graduation of Harry Woolf: Later Lord Woolf MR.
Image: Portrait photograph of Harry Kenneth Woolf, Baron Woolf, by Edward Barber, 1999
1965
JAC (Tony) Thomas appointed Professor of Roman Law.
Image: Cover of Textbook of Roman Law, J.A.C. Thomas, published 1976
1966
Faculty moves to Thorne House, Endsleigh Gardens
Image: Thorne House in 1966
1983
Valentine Korah appointed Faculty’s first female Professor: UCL alumna (LLB 1949, LLM 1951, PhD 1965).
Image: Photograph of Valentine Korah
1984
Ronald Dworkin appointed Visiting Professor of Jurisprudence, before becoming Quain Professor of Jurisprudence in 1998, and Bentham Professor of Jurisprudence in 2004
Image: The Jurisprudes, left to right: Dr Riz Mokal, Professor Ronald Dworkin, Dr Nicos Stavropoulos, Dr George Letsas and Professor Jonathan Wolff
1985
Thorne House is renamed Bentham House
Image: Sir Jack Jacob, Lord Lloyd, Jeffrey Jowell, and Lord Rayne, at the formal renaming of Bentham House, 1985
2004
Bentham Project formally affiliated with the Faculty of Laws.
Image: A collection of archived materials
2018
Following its redevelopment, the Faculty return to Bentham House in 2018.
Image: Section of the new Faculty of Laws
2026
UCL marks 200 years since its founding.
Image: Bentham House today
Memories of UCL Laws
Your experiences are part of the Faculty’s legacy. We would love to hear any memories from your time at UCL Laws that you would like to share.
Share your memories: laws.memories@ucl.ac.uk
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