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Our history

Ranked among the world’s top law schools, the ANU College of Law is Australia’s national law school. Since 1960, tens of thousands of students, alumni, staff and academics have experienced the passion and dedication to legal studies that makes ANU Law one of the top law schools in the world. In 2020, we celebrated their contribution to 60 years of ANU Law.

The University confers Honorary Degrees to highly eminent individuals in recognition of their significant contributions and achievements. Throughout the College's history we have awarded the Honorary Doctor of Laws (HonLLD) to the recipients listed on the following page, for exceptional contributions to public service or to the practice of law that is recognised nationally or internationally. 

The following timeline provides a brief snapshot of our history.

Our timeline

Our historic building

The first wing of our historic Law building was built in 1965 by architects O'Mahoney Neville & Morgan.

The architectural characteristics demonstrate elements of the late-twentieth century stripped classical style including the symmetrical facades, a horizontal skyline and a lack of classical detailing.

The cast in-situ concrete arches provide a stylistic reference to similar elements of the adjacent Chifley Library, also designed by O'Mahoney. The arches are clad in 'special rendered facing' specifically chosen for the complex.

Windows are spaced uniformly throughout the complex, providing a vertical perspective to the long horizontal buildings.

Two large oaks have been retained in Latham Court, on the Law lawns.

In 2017, ANU Law undertook a substantial building renovation and refurbishment project to the iconic Fellows Road Law buildings.

Deans of the College

  • John Fleming (1959–60)
  • Harold Ford (1960–61)
  • Jack Richardson (1961–66) and (1968–70)
  • Harry Whitmore (1970–72)
  • Patrick Atiyah (1972–73)
  • Leslie Zines (1973–75)
  • Douglas Whalan (1975–77)
  • Don Greig (1977–80)
  • David Hambly (1980–82)
  • Dennis Pearce (1982–84)
  • Leslie Zines (1984–86)
  • David Hambly (1986–88)
  • Don Greig (1988–91)
  • Dennis Pearce (1991–93)
  • Tom Campbell (1995–97)
  • Michael Coper (1998–2012)
  • Stephen Bottomley (2013–17)
  • Sally Wheeler OBE (2018-22)
  • Tony Connolly (2022-)

1946

The Australian National University is established

On the 1 August 1946, the Bill establishing The Australian National University is passed by Federal Parliament.

1951

First law degree conferred

On 7 December 1951, 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.

Bust of Sir Robert Garran

Professor Herbert Burton presented a bust to Sir Robert Garran in 1952. It now lives in the Law Library. Everyone rubs his nose for good luck!

1958

Faculty of Law established

Faculty of Law established at the Canberra University College.

1960

Amalgamation into ANU School of General Studies

Canberra University College (including the Faculty of Law) incorporated into the ANU School of General Studies.

1960-65

Law teaching in the Childers Street huts

Following the amalgamation of the Canberra University College into the ANU in 1960, law teaching continued in the College's old premises - the Childers Street huts.

1960s

Bengali Law Reports

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.

1963

ANU Law Students' Society established

The ANU Law Students' Society dates from 1963 and has grown to be one of the largest societies on campus.

1964

Federal Law Review first published

Published since 1964, the Federal Law Review is recognised as one of Australia's leading academic law journals.

1965

First wing of Law building completed

The first wing of the new Law building is completed in 1965. The architects are O'Mahoney Neville & Morgan.

1967

First Master of Laws (LLM) awarded

As well as the Bachelor of Laws (LLB), the College has offered postgraduate programs since its commencement. The Master of Laws (LLM) was initially a research degree and was first awarded to David Anderson in 1967.

1971

ANU Legal Workshop founded

The Hon Kevin O'Leary is appointed the founding director of the ANU Legal Workshop.

The Law School lawns

Students (relaxing in deck chairs!) back in 1971, taking a break from study on the Law School lawns.

1972

First University-based PLT program in Australia

ANU Legal Workshop offered the first University-based Practical Legal Training (PLT) program in Australia

1976

First PhD awarded

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.

1981, 2010 & 2016

Jessup Moot champions

In 1981 and again in 2010 teams from ANU Law 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. In 2016, the ANU Law team won the National round, and competed in Washington in the International round. 2016 team: James Barrett, Dan Trevanion, Matilda Gillis, Tara Peramatukorn and William Randles.

1984

Master of Laws (LLM) in coursework program commenced

The College's postgraduate coursework programs are now the largest in Australia.

1989

Centre for International & Public Law established

With the appointment of Professor Philip Alston as founding director, CIPL was the first centre 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

Annual Geoffrey Sawer lecture inaugurated

The College inaugurated the annual Geoffrey Sawer lecture in honour of the first Professor of Law at ANU. The lecture has since been delivered by such luminaries as Sir Ninian Stephen, Sir Gerard Brennan, and Professor Leslie Zines. Geoffrey Sawer was appointed as the first Professor of Law at ANU in 1950.

2007

Visitors program

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. Visitors have included: the Dalai Lama, Justices of the US Supreme Court, Justices of the High Court of Australia, former Prime Ministers and many others.

2015

Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) - top rating of 5, for the third time running

ANU Law contributes significantly to the ANU top rating of 5 in Excellence in Research Australia (ERA). We are one of only two Australian universities who have achieved this rating in all three of the ERA rounds, in 2010, 2012, and again in 2015.

New entrance foyer

On 17 November 2015 we opened our new entrance foyer which features better spaces for students, greater recognition of alumni achievements, and new facilities for formal functions and presentations.

Australia's only 20/20 law school

In 2015 ANU Law became 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 2015)

2017

Building renovation

Commenced a 3 year, $25 million major building renovation and refurbishment project to the iconic Fellows Road Law buildings.

Our rankings

our rankings

One of the world’s best law schools

The ANU College of Law consistently performs strongly in global university rankings. We are ranked 18th in the world and 2nd in Australia for law by the Times Higher Education Rankings (2023) and 24th the world and 4th in Australia for law by the QS World University Rankings (2023).

Guided by our strong and long-established research culture, we make a significant contribution to the University’s top rating of 5 in Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) in the Law and Legal Studies category, placing us among a select group of Australian universities to achieve this.

One of the world’s best universities

In addition to ongoing success in discipline-specific rankings, ANU is consistently ranked among the world’s top universities, including leading institutions such as Oxford and Cambridge in the United Kingdom, and Ivy League universities in the United States.

While the methodology varies across respective publishers, rankings are generally based on a combination of factors such as academic reputation, graduate outcomes, employer reputation, student-to-staff ratio, research output and internationalisation.

Currently, ANU is ranked: