University Law College, Bangalore

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University Law College, Bangalore
Established: 1948
Type: Public / Government
Principal: Prof. Dr. K.M.H Rayappa
Location: Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Campus: Urban
Nickname: ULC, Bangalore

The University Law College, Bangalore University, located in the garden city of Bangalore (also called Bengaluru), is a pioneer legal-education institution in the state of Karnataka. The college, popularly known as ULC - Bangalore, is widely recognized as one of the country’s best government run law schools. It has consistently been ranked amongst the top 10 law colleges in India by India Today in its annual reports, with the highlight being ranked as the 2nd best law college in the country for the year 2001.

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[edit] Administration

[edit] Bangalore University

ULC is administered and maintained by the Bangalore University (BU),[1] which was started originally in 1886 at Central College, later given status of Degree awarding body through its own name in July 1964 under the Mysore Act No.26, later replaced by the Karnataka State Universities Act.[2] The University offers a wide range of curricular options encompassing 9 faculties which include both traditional as well as modern intellectual disciplines.[3] With as many as 600 affiliated Colleges[4], 75 Post-Graduate Departments, more than 360,000 students pursuing undergraduate programs and 7,362 students specializing in postgraduate studies, the Bangalore University has grown to be recognized as one of the largest universities in Asia.[5] The Bangalore University has been accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC)[6] in 2001 and awarded Five Star Status.[7] The University is a member[8] of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU)[9], and has also received the recognition of University Grants Commission (UGC).[10]

[edit] Faculty of Law

The Faculty of Law of Bangalore University offers courses both at UG and PG level. The University Law College is the only constituent college of law directly administered by the Bangalore University. Dr. T. R. Subramanya is the present Dean, Faculty of Law of Bangalore University, while Prof. Dr. K.M.H.Rayappa serves as the present Principal of ULC. ULC hosts a few well-qualified and experienced faculty and a resourceful administrative staff. The visiting guest-lecturers and professors lend flexibility and expertise to the academic staff of ULC.

From the early days of its inception, ULC was situated in the City Campus of Bangalore University, close to the legislative and highest judicial seat of the state. However, at the beginning of the academic year 2006-07, ULC shifted from the heritage campus to a new state-of-the-art facility at the Jnana Bharathi Campus of Bangalore University, which is located on 1,100 acres (4.5 km²) of land close to the Kengeri suburb of Bangalore.

In the era of privatization and commercialization of education in India, ULC continues to uphold the philanthropic tradition in Indian education by dispensing affordable legal education and reaching out to every strata of the society. With a fee structure that amounts to a fraction of the fee charged by most private legal institutions in India, ULC continues to provide its students with the platform to equip themselves with knowledge they can apply to influence legal and social causes.

[edit] History

[edit] Early History

The erstwhile Government of Mysore (now the State of Karnataka) started the college in the year 1948. It was previously known as the Bangalore Government Law College. Prof. Narayan Rao was the first Principal of the college. With the establishment of the Bangalore University in 1964, ULC was brought under the Faculty of Law of Bangalore University. ULC only offered a three-year postgraduate LL.B. program till 1986.

[edit] Pioneering the 5-Year Integrated B.A.L, LL.B. Program

In the year 1982, Prof. Dr. V.B Coutinho became the Principal of ULC. During his term, the college emphatically transformed into one of the first professional law colleges in the country by introducing the five-year integrated B.A.L,LL.B. program for the first time, in the academic year 1986-87. This was an initiative to achieve higher standards in legal education. A few years thereafter, the Committee on Subordinate Legislation of the 10th Lok Sabha, the Committee of Judges on Legal Education appointed by the Chief Justice of India in 1993, and the All India Law Ministers Conference in 1994 unanimously recommended the adoption of the five year LL.B. program as the course for professional legal education.[11]

[edit] The ULC Experience

At present, ULC offers:

  • the five-year integrated Bachelor of Laws (B.A.L,LL.B.) program; and
  • the two-year specialized Master of Laws (LL.M.) program in Criminal Law, Business Law, Constitution and Legal Order , Labour, Capital & Law, and Environmental Law.

The ULC library is a depository for a large collection of treatises, journals, research papers, documents and other reference material on national and international law.

A challenging curriculum and a diverse student population at ULC prepare the students for success in law practice, litigation, business, public service, and teaching. The experience and exposure to various facets of academic and clinical legal training at ULC is unparalleled. Recognizing the necessity of experiential learning, ULC has developed a state–of–the art clinical program offering students an opportunity to be associated with the legal profession through internships, mandatory trial-court visits, legal-aid programs, model parliament and moot court activities. Legal education at ULC equips the students for the complete spectrum of career opportunities available to lawyers, and provides them with the capability to adapt to the rapid pace of change that characterizes modern legal practice. As a testimony to this fact, among ULCs graduates are many Supreme Court and High Court Justices, renowned public servants, politicians, bureaucrats, lawyers and academicians of repute.

[edit] Student Activities

Outside the classroom, there are a rich variety of student interest groups which allow students to pursue every possible interest. The student initiative at ULC is its greatest strength and a spirit of collaboration reigns throughout a student's stay at ULC.

Although originally students from urban and rural parts of Karnataka looked at ULC to pursue the study of law, today students come from every region of the country and several foreign countries as well. Although ULC is a non-residential law college, separate hostel facilities are available for male and female students, within the Jnana Bharathi campus of Bangalore University.

[edit] All India Moot Court Competition

The annual national level moot court competition hosted by ULC is the flagship activity of the student body, the Society of Mooters. The competition attracts participants from law colleges all across the country. The justices[12] of the High Court of Karnataka[13] preside over the finals of the moot court competition. ULC successfully organized the 11th edition of the competition in February 2007.[14]

[edit] Cultural and Literary Festivals

ULC also hosts an annual inter-collegiate literary and cultural festival. Having successfully organized such festivals in the past under different names, ULC is presently gearing up to host its biggest ever law festival called Jus Celebre '07.[15]

[edit] ULC Alumni

A few famous alumni:

[edit] Law In Action

In the recent past, ULC has, through Bangalore University, partnered with University of Paris X-Nanterre[17] for exchange of faculty and students.[18] Negotiations with other universities and law schools in Europe and USA are in progress for similar tie-ups. Over the last few decades, ULC has evolved to be more diverse and its student activities more varied. Building on a strong foundation and a rich tradition, ULC has transformed into a law college of choice for many aspiring lawyers.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bangalore University
  2. ^ Bangalore University
  3. ^ NAAC Peer Team Report On Institutional Accreditation Of Bangalore University, http://naacindia.org/Reports/BangaloreUni-PTR.doc
  4. ^ indiastudycenter.com/Univ/States/Karnataka/BU.asp
  5. ^ Bangalore University - About BU
  6. ^ NAAC - National Assessment and Accreditation Council
  7. ^ Accredited Universities
  8. ^ Association of Indian Universities
  9. ^ http://www.aiuweb.org/index.aspx
  10. ^ :::Welcome to UGC :::
  11. ^ Law Commission of India, Working Paper on the Review of Advocates Act 1961, Pp.18-19
  12. ^ http://karnatakajudiciary.kar.nic.in/JProfile/jprofile.htm
  13. ^ High Court of Karnataka
  14. ^ University Law College
  15. ^ Jus Celebre 07
  16. ^ Karnataka Lokayukta
  17. ^ Université de Paris 10 - Accueil
  18. ^ Université de Paris 10 - Partner universities in Asia and Oceania

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