The Faculty of Law and Justice of the University of New South Wales is a law school situated in Sydney, Australia. It is widely regarded as one of Australia's top law schools. The 2025 QS World University Rankings ranks the UNSW Law Faculty 12th in the world, first overall for law in Australia, and 2nd in the Asia-Pacific region, and the 2021 Times Higher Education subject rankings also rank it second in Australia, making it the top ranked law school in New South Wales according to both tables, as well as being the top undergraduate Law school in the country.
The Faculty comprises the School of Global and Public Law; the School of Criminal Justice, Law and Society; and the School of Corporate and Private Law. It further comprises 13 affiliated research and specialist legal centres, including a community legal centre, the Kingsford Legal Centre, as well as the Refugee Advice and Casework Service. The Faculty is also co-founder and operator of the Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII), which provides free access to case law, legislation and other primary legal resources online. It offers legal education for all career stages: undergraduate law dual degree programs, the Juris Doctor for graduates, postgraduate coursework, postgraduate research, and continuing legal education short courses.
History
On 13 July 1964, the University's Council approved the creation of the UNSW Faculty of Law. On 24 January 1966, the Foundation Chair of Law was created, with the appointee to also be the Dean of the Faculty of Law. On 8 September 1969, Wootten was appointed to this position, where, in 1971, he would oversee the first teaching classes in the faculty.
The Faculty opened on 1 March 1971 with 219 undergraduate students. Prior to this, only the University of Sydney offered law degrees in New South Wales. The task of establishing the new law school was given to John Halden Wootten QC, a former judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, who was appointed Foundation Dean in 1969.
In 1976, the Faculty moved to occupy five floors of the UNSW Library Tower on upper campus. In 2006, the Faculty moved to a new law building on lower campus. The official opening took place on 21 September 2006 by the then Chief Justice of Australia Murray Gleeson. A quotation from Hal Wootten, Founding Dean, is set out on a wall of the law building: "a law school should have and communicate to its students a concern for those on whom the law may bear harshly."
In 2021 (the 50th anniversary of the Faculty), the Faculty was renamed to the UNSW Faculty of Law and Justice to highlight the Faculty's commitment to social justice. The new Faculty incorporates law programs as well as criminology and criminal justice. 2021 also saw the Faculty structured into three schools: Corporate and Private Law; Global and Public Law; and Criminal Justice, Law and Society.
Currently the Faculty teaches approximately 2,675 students.
Reputation
Standing and rankings In 2025, the QS World University Rankings placed UNSW Faculty of Law and Justice 12th on its list of the best law schools in the world, and first in Australia. The law school is ranked second in Australia after the University of Melbourne by the ARWU 2017 subject rankings, and second in Australia by the 2020 Times Higher Education subject rankings. The UNSW Law School was noted as one of the primary faculties in helping to place the University 1st in Australia and 33rd in the globe for most millionaires produced.
In the 2011, 2012 and 2013 Good Universities Guide, UNSW was the only law school in Australia to receive top ratings across all criteria, which include: teaching quality, generic skills, overall satisfaction, and success in obtaining a job. From 2006 to 2009, the Federal Government's assessment of excellence in tertiary education found that the Faculty lead all Australian universities for the quality of learning and teaching in law.2007 Learning and Teaching Performance Fund announcement by Federal Minister for Education, 7 December 20062008 Learning and Teaching Performance Fund announcement by Federal Minister for Education, 3 October 20072009 Learning and Teaching Performance Fund announcement by the Federal Minister for Education, 5 February 2009.
Among the Go8 law schools, UNSW Law topped the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) 2014 survey, conducted and funded by the Australian Government Department of Education and Training, which measured the perspectives of recent students and graduates on experience as students and employment and salary outcomes. UNSW Law achieved the highest percentage in each of these categories, and continued to do so as of 2016.
Student achievements In the past three years, five UNSW law graduates have won Rhodes scholarships. In 2018, three UNSW law graduates won New Colombo Plan Scholarships.
UNSW law students have achieved success in a number of international advocacy competitions, including: World Champion (2003, 2007, 2013), World Runner-Up (2005, 2016), and the Best Speaker in the English speaking rounds (2010, 2013) in the Jean-Pictet International Humanitarian Law Competition. World Runner-Up (2008) and World Quarter-Finalists (2013) in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. World Champion and Asia-Pacific Round Champion (2008) in the Manfred Lachs Space Law International Moot Competition. World Champion (2016, 2018) and World Runner-Up (2010) in the International Chamber of Commerce International Mediation Competition. Best Claimant and Best Respondent Memorandum in the World (2010) in the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. Semi-finalists (2013, 2014, 2015), quarter-finalists (2016), best memorials (2013, 2016), best speaker (2014) and best prosecution (2016) in the International Criminal Court Moot.
Location The Law Faculty is situated in the Law Building on the University's main campus in Kensington, Sydney.
The building is four levels high and was designed by Melbourne architects Corbet Lyons. Features of the building include light-filled atria space, open staircases, landscaped courtyards and an agora running up through floors. There are 13 classrooms with 40-plus seats, two Harvard-style lecture rooms with 90 seats and a 350-seat auditorium. Other features include a new Moot Court and student lounge. The Herbert Smith Freehills Law Library is occupied over two levels.
Curriculum and classes
The Law Faculty offers both an undergraduate and a graduate law program, namely the combined Bachelor of Law (LLB) with a Bachelor in another discipline, and the graduate Juris Doctor (JD) program.
After an extensive curriculum review, the Faculty introduced a new curriculum in 2013.
Combined law curriculum The combined law program, which involves a five-year undergraduate course of study comprising a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor in another discipline, is currently made up of the following course study structure:
Year 1: Introducing Law & Justice; Torts; Principles of Private Law and five non-law courses. Year 2: Crime & the Criminal Process; Criminal Laws; Principles of Public Law; and five non-law courses. Year 3: Contracts; Lawyers, Ethics and Justice; Court Process, Evidence & Proof; Equity & Trusts; Administrative Law; and three non-law courses. Year 4: Resolving Civil Disputes; Federal Constitutional Law; Business Associations; Law in the Global Context; Land Law and three non-law courses. Year 5: Eight law electives.
For students commencing their degree before 2019, the program structure is:
Year 1: Introducing Law & Justice; Torts; and six non-law courses. Year 2: Principles of Private Law; Principles of Public Law; Crime & the Criminal Process; Criminal Laws; and four non-law courses. Year 3: Contracts; Administrative Law; Equity & Trusts; Lawyers, Ethics and Justice; and four non-law courses. Year 4: Land Law; Resolving Civil Disputes; Business Associations; Court Process, Evidence & Proof; Federal Constitutional Law; Law in the Global Context; and two non-law courses. Year 5: Eight law electives.
Juris doctor curriculum The Graduate Juris Doctor program, which involves a three-year graduate course of study, is made up of the following course study structure: Year 1: Introducing Law & Justice; Crime & the Criminal Process; Principles of Private Law; Principles of Public Law; Torts; Criminal Laws; Contracts; Lawyers, Ethics & Justice. Year 2: Law in the Global Context; Resolving Civil Disputes; Equity & Trusts; Administrative Law; Law & Social Theory/ Legal Theory/ Theories of Law & Justice; Court Process, Evidence & Proof; Land Law; Federal Constitutional Law. Year 3: Business Associations; and seven law electives. The academic study load of the JD program differs from that of undergraduate dual law program in that for a full-time study mode it requires a full study load of four law subjects each semester in contrast to only part law study load each semester in the undergraduate dual law program.
Electives for the JD program are selected from postgraduate subjects such as those within but not limited to Master of Laws (LL.M). Core subjects in the program are taught solely within the JD cohort, with postgraduate electives taught with the postgraduate cohort and standard electives (if chosen) taught with the undergraduate dual law cohort.
The UNSW JD program has previously been criticised for over-enrollment, with reports that a few students attempted to 'buy' their way into classes for as much as $10k.
Class format The Law Faculty does not use a lecture and tutorial system common in faculties in England and still used by some other Australian law schools. Rather, the Faculty has long conducted classes in a seminar-format. Students are asked to contribute to class discussion using the Socratic method; basic learning is done through reading materials prior to class, and class time is devoted to examining the complexities and critical exploration of the material, though the level of Socratic questioning varies between teachers and courses. First year classes ordinarily have a maximum of 28 students. Most upper-year classes have a maximum of 44 students. Some upper-year courses have up to 90 students.
Overseas exchange programs The Law Faculty offers a number law subjects taught at overseas institutions through international arrangements, including courses at Columbia Law School, UC Berkeley School of Law, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. It also offers exchange programs at over 60 universities, including Sciences Po, Panthéon-Assas University, University College London, Tilburg University, McGill University, National University of Singapore, University of Hong Kong, Tsinghua University, Peking University, and others.
Admissions In 2015 and 2016, entry to the undergraduate combined law program required an ATAR mark of 99.7, the highest entry requirement for admission to a law degree in Australia.
From 2017, entry into the undergraduate combined law program will be based on both an ATAR or academic result, as well as the results from a Law Admission Test (LAT) (not to be confused with the Law School Admission Test used in the United States). The test will consist of two questions requiring written responses. It is designed to assess aptitudes and skills that are relevant to success in the law program, including critical thinking and analysis, and organising and expressing ideas in a clear and fluent way. Applicants will have two hours to complete the test. The first LAT test was held on Monday 26 September 2016 for entry into 2017 admission. LAT results will be valid for two years. There are about 330 students admitted per year. (Rough estimate due to nonspecific number of 2019 student intake)|