A BRIEF HISTORY ANU College of Law A BRIEF HISTORY ANU College of Law Welcome to Australia’s national law school. A BRIEF HISTORY ANU College of Law 1930 Tertiary education began in Canberra in 1930 with the establishment of the Canberra University College – a joint initiative of the Australian Government and the University of Melbourne. A BRIEF HISTORY ANU College of Law 1930 – 1960 Canberra University College lectures were held in temporary huts in Childers Street, Acton. 1946 Did you know? On 1 August 1946, The Australian National University was established as an exclusively research- based institution. IMAGE COURTESY OF OLD PARLIAMENT HOUSE 1949 Did you know? Professor Herbert (Joe) Burton was the first Professor and Principal of Canberra University College from 1949. 1951 Did you know? On 7 December 1951, the ANU confers its first degree of an Honorary Doctor of Laws on Sir Robert Garran, one of the authors of the Australian Constitution and a long-time advocate of university education in Canberra. ANU ARCHIVES: UNIVERSITY PHOTOGRAPHS, ANUA15/23/1 Did you know? In the Law library, there is a bust of Sir Robert Garran – everyone rubs his nose for good luck! Professor Herbert Burton presenting bust to Sir Robert Garran in 1952. 1960 Did you know? In 1960, the Canberra University College was incorporated into the ANU and became the School of General Studies. The ANU Faculty of Law thus dates from 1960. A BRIEF HISTORY ANU College of Law 1960 – 1965 Following the amalgamation of the Canberra University College into the ANU in 1960, law teaching continued for the time being in the Childers Street huts. Published since 1964, the Federal Law Review is recognised as one of Australia’s leading academic law journals. A BRIEF HISTORY ANU College of Law Our legacy is built on excellence in research, teaching and learning. 1965 Did you know? The first wing of the Law building was completed in 1965. The architects were O’Mahoney Neville & Morgan. 1960s Did you know? The Bengali Law Reports – created by Paul Sheehan and lodged in the ANU law library – are part of ANU folklore, annotating comics summarising the law and moral code of Phantom comic episodes. 1967 Did you know? As well as the LLB, the College has offered postgraduate programs since its commencement. The LLM was initially a research degree and was first awarded to David Anderson in 1967. 1971 From the archive Students (relaxing in deck chairs!) back in 1971, taking a break from study on the Law School lawns. A BRIEF HISTORY ANU College of Law 1971 ANU Legal Workshop The Hon Kevin O’Leary was the founding director of ANU Legal Workshop – during this time, Law was heralded as ‘most innovative faculty on campus’. 1972 Did you know? In 1972, the ANU Legal Workshop offered the first university based Practical Legal Training (PLT) program in Australia. 1976 Did you know? Dr James O’Donovan graduated with the first PhD from ANU in Law in 1976. He is now an Adjunct Professor at the University of Western Australia Law School. A BRIEF HISTORY ANU College of Law 1981 & 2010 Teams from ANU won the Jessup International Mooting Competition in Washington DC, defeating teams from around the world. 1981 team Vivienne Bath, Andrew Byrnes, Chris Erskine and Tom Faunce 2010 team Ellen Chapple, Rohan Kapur, Sarah Lynch, Sneha Rangnath and Sam Thorpe IMAGE COURTESY OF CHENSIYUAN 1984 Did you know? The College’s postgraduate coursework programs are the largest in Australia. The LLM coursework program dates from 1984. A BRIEF HISTORY ANU College of Law 1989 The Centre for International and Public Law was established with the appointment of Professor Philip Alston. The Centre was the first in the College and one of the earliest ventures by an Australian law school to set up a research centre concentrating on a particular field of law. 1998 Did you know? In 1998 we inaugurated the annual Geoffrey Sawer lecture, since delivered by such luminaries as Sir Ninian Stephen, Justice Elizabeth Evatt, and Professor Leslie Zines. Geoffrey Sawer was appointed as the first Professor of Law at ANU in 1950. A BRIEF HISTORY ANU College of Law 2008 We have been honoured to have as members of the College many of the country’s most eminent legal experts. Emeritus Professors (clockwise from back left) Dennis Pearce, David Hambly, Jim Davis, Don Greig, Jack Richardson and Leslie Zines IMAGE COURTESY OF MICHAEL COPER A BRIEF HISTORY ANU College of Law 2015 Today, ANU College of Law is now home to over 25 per cent of students at The Australian National University. A BRIEF HISTORY ANU College of Law 1963 – 2015 The ANU Law Students’ Society dates from 1963 and has grown to be one of the largest societies on campus. A BRIEF HISTORY ANU College of Law In our 50+ years as the ANU College of Law, we’ve brought together some of the best and brightest legal minds in Australia. A BRIEF HISTORY ANU College of Law Through the achievements of our staff, students and alumni, we have created an enviable reputation in Australia and around the world. A BRIEF HISTORY ANU College of Law We have an extraordinary visitors program that has seen some of the world’s most eminent lawyers and public figures spend time at the College. Did you know? Visitors over the years have included the Dalai Lama, Justices of the United States Supreme Court, Justices of the High Court of Australia, ex-Prime Ministers and many others. A BRIEF HISTORY ANU College of Law We are considered a leader in constitutional and administrative law. A BRIEF HISTORY ANU College of Law . and have particular expertise in international law. A BRIEF HISTORY ANU College of Law . and are home to one of Australia’s most respected environmental law programs. 2015 Did you know? We contribute significantly to the ANU top ranking of 5 in Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) and we are one of only two Australian universities to achieve this. A BRIEF HISTORY ANU College of Law Above all, we are guided by a commitment to the values of law reform and social justice. A BRIEF HISTORY ANU College of Law 2015 While we respect and learn from our history, we never let it limit or constrain us from developing bold new initiatives. A BRIEF HISTORY ANU College of Law Law Deans John Fleming 1959 – 60 Harold Ford 1960 – 61 Jack Richardson 1961 – 66, 1968 – 70 Harry Whitmore 1970 – 72 Patrick Atiyah 1972 – 73 Leslie Zines 1973 – 75, 1984 – 86 Douglas Whalan 1975 – 77 Don Greig 1977 – 80, 1988 – 91 David Hambly 1980 – 82, 1986 – 88 Dennis Pearce 1982 – 84, 1991–94 Tom Campbell 1995 – 97 Michael Coper 1998 –2012 Stephen Bottomley since 2013 A BRIEF HISTORY ANU College of Law 2015 Ours is a law school that is continually looking to the future. A BRIEF HISTORY ANU College of Law In just 50 years, we’ve grown to become one of the world’s leading law schools. 2015 Did you know? We are Australia’s only 20/20 law school – a world’s top 20 law school at a world’s top 20 university. *QS World University Rankings.