The SOAS School of Law is a
law school of the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
. It is based in the
Paul Webley
Paul Webley CBE (19 November 1953 – 2 March 2016) was director and principal of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London from 2006 to 2015. From 2010 until his death in 2016, he was Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the Uni ...
wing of the Senate House in
Bloomsbury, London, United Kingdom. The
SOAS School of Law has an emphasis on the legal systems of Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
The School of Law has over 400 students. It offers programmes at the
LLB
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
,
LLM
A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...
and MPhil/
PhD level.
International students
International students, or foreign students, are students who undertake all or part of their tertiary education in a country other than their own and move to that country for the purpose of studying.
In 2019, there were over 6 million internati ...
have been the majority at both the undergraduate and postgraduate level for many years.
It publishes a number of journals, including the ''
Journal of African Law
The ''Journal of African Law'' is published biannually by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London, United Kingdom). It is a peer-reviewed law review
A law review or law journa ...
'', the ''Journal of Comparative Law'' and the ''Yearbook of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law''. Along with the
International Environmental Law Research Centre (IELRC), it produces the ''Law, Environment and Development Journal'' (''LEAD Journal''). An independent student law journal is also published by undergraduate and graduate students, the ''SOAS Law Journal'', and it publishes articles from faculty, students and alumni.
Notable alumni of the school of law include
David Lammy MP, former
President of Ghana
The president of the Republic of Ghana is the elected head of state and head of government of Ghana, as well as commander-in-chief of the Ghana Armed Forces. The current president of Ghana is Nana Akufo-Addo, who won the 2020 presidential elec ...
John Atta Mills
John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills (21 July 1944 – 24 July 2012) was a Ghanaian politician and legal scholar who served as President of Ghana from 2009 until his death in 2012. He was inaugurated on 7 January 2009, having defeated the governing party ...
,
Supreme Court justices from
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
and
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, and Iranian human rights activist
Ghoncheh Ghavami
Ghoncheh Ghavami (born 1989), also spelled as Goncheh Ghavami ( fa, غنچه قوامی), is a British-Iranian law graduate of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London who was held in solitary confinement in Evin Prison fo ...
.
History
The SOAS School of Law was established in 1947 with
Seymour Gonne Vesey-FitzGerald
Seymour Gonne Vesey-FitzGerald, QC (30 May 1884 – 28 September 1954) was a British colonial civil servant, barrister, and legal academic.
Biography
Vesey-FitzGerald was born in 1884, the son of Percy Seymour Vesey FitzGerald, CSI, a senior mem ...
as its first head, and as such is one of the 20 oldest law schools in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. Initially, the School of Law only hosted post-graduate students. In 1975, under the leadership of
Antony Nicholas Allott, the school developed a comparative undergraduate LLB which continues to the present. In 2012, the Head of the Law School, Mashood Baderin, was appointed as Special Independent Expert to Sudan by the
United Nations Human Rights Council
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), CDH is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis. ...
. In 2013, Paul Kohler assumed the role as Head of the SOAS School of Law following the retirement of Baderin.
Academics
The SOAS School of Law
Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
(LLB) programme is recognised as a Qualifying Law Degree by the
Law Society of England and Wales
The Law Society of England and Wales (officially The Law Society) is the professional association that represents solicitors for the jurisdiction of England and Wales. It provides services and support to practising and training solicitors, as ...
and the
Bar Standards Board
The Bar Standards Board regulates barristers in England and Wales for the public interest.
It is responsible for:
* Setting standards of conduct for barristers and authorising barristers to practise;
* Monitoring the service provided by barrist ...
for the purposes of completing legal training. As such, the SOAS LLB satisfies all professional requirements for the
Common Professional Examination
The Common Professional Examination/Postgraduate Diploma in Law (CPE/PGDL) is a postgraduate law course in England and Wales that is taken by non-law graduates (graduates who have a degree in a discipline that is not law or not a qualifying law ...
.
Although many modules at SOAS embody a substantial element of English
common law
In law, common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law created by judges and similar quasi-judicial tribunals by virtue of being stated in written opinions."The common law is not a brooding omnipresen ...
, all modules are taught as far as possible in a comparative or international manner with an emphasis in the way in which law functions in society. Thus, law studies at SOAS are broad and comparative in their orientation. All students study a significant amount of non-English law, start in the first year of the LLB course, where 'Legal Systems of Asia and Africa' is compulsory. Specialised modules in the laws and legal systems of particular countries and regions is also encouraged and faculty experts conduct modules in these subjects every year.
Several combination BA degrees also allow students to combine law courses with another faculty, including history and politics. The SOAS School of Law also has a
Master of Laws
A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...
(
LLM
A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...
) which provides many advanced courses on comparative, international and transnational commercial law- all focused on Asian and African legal issues. The SOAS School of Law also offers a
PhD programme.
In addition to academic programmes, SOAS School of Law students also have access to several Pro Bono law clinics. These Pro Bono law clinics offer students the opportunity to work alongside practising lawyers on actual cases involving human rights and civil rights which are taken on free of charge to the clients.
Research
The SOAS School of Law has expertise in the laws of Asian and African countries,
human rights
Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...
, transnational
commercial law,
environmental law, and
comparative law
Comparative law is the study of differences and similarities between the law (legal systems) of different countries. More specifically, it involves the study of the different legal "systems" (or "families") in existence in the world, including the ...
.
It is home to the following research centres:
* Centre for East Asian Laws (CEAL)
* Centre for Law and Conflict
* Centre for Ethnic Minority Studies (CEMS)
* Centre for Islamic and Middle Eastern Law (CIMEL).
Faculty members routinely contribute to journals and publish volumes of leading research annually. The school has close ties with the internationally renowned
Institute of Advanced Legal Studies
The Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS) is a member institute of the School of Advanced Study, University of London. Founded in 1947, it is a national academic centre of excellence, serving the legal community and universities across the ...
, which is also part of the federal
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
.
Publications
The SOAS School of Law and faculty members are involved in the publication of the following legal research journals:
* ''
Journal of African Law
The ''Journal of African Law'' is published biannually by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London, United Kingdom). It is a peer-reviewed law review
A law review or law journa ...
'',
* ''Journal of Comparative Law'',
* ''Law Reports of the Commonwealth'',
* ''Yearbook of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law'',
* ''Law, Environment and Development Journal'' (''LEAD Journal''),
* ''SOAS Law Journal'' (Co-founded by five SOAS law students, it is a student-led and edited journal featuring submissions by students, alumni and faculty.)
Rankings
The SOAS School of Law was ranked 46th out of all British law schools by ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' League Table in 2020.
The
QS World University Rankings
''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The QS system comprises three parts: the global overall ranking, the subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for the ...
placed SOAS in the 151-200 bracket in 2020 for law.
SOAS Law Society
The SOAS Law Society promotes opportunities to learn about the study of law and career options to student members at SOAS. The Law Society hosts meetings, intercollegiate exchanges, mooting tournaments and other educational events. Although there was formerly a separate SOAS Bar Society that conducted bar-related programming and organised moot teams and tournaments, it merged with the Law Society in 2013. Past moot teams fielded by the SOAS Law Society or SOAS Bar Society have participated in the annual English Law Students Association (ELSA) Moot Tournament and the prestigious
London Universities Mooting Shield, which was founded by SOAS Law School alumnus, barrister and present New York attorney Daniel Jackson.
Teaching
Faculty at the SOAS School of Law are routinely rated highly on national student satisfaction surveys, with the satisfaction rate reaching 91% in 2015.
The SOAS School of Law has more than 30 full-time academic staff, 20 professors, many visiting professors and distinguished judicial and other visiting academic staff.
Visiting Professors
*
Amal Clooney
Amal Clooney (; ar, أمل علم الدين; born 3 February 1978) is a Lebanese and British barrister.
Her clients include Filipino and American journalist Maria Ressa; former President of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed; Julian Assange, the ...
- Former visiting professor at SOAS School of Law, human rights barrister and wife of actor
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by George Clooney, numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Awards, British Academy Film A ...
.
*
David W. Kennedy
Notable alumni
Heads of State
![Official portrait of Rt Hon David Lammy MP crop 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Official_portrait_of_Rt_Hon_David_Lammy_MP_crop_2.jpg)
*
John Atta Mills
John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills (21 July 1944 – 24 July 2012) was a Ghanaian politician and legal scholar who served as President of Ghana from 2009 until his death in 2012. He was inaugurated on 7 January 2009, having defeated the governing party ...
- Former
President of Ghana
The president of the Republic of Ghana is the elected head of state and head of government of Ghana, as well as commander-in-chief of the Ghana Armed Forces. The current president of Ghana is Nana Akufo-Addo, who won the 2020 presidential elec ...
.
Judiciary
*
Idris Kutigi - Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
*
Sylvester Umaru Onu - Supreme Court Justice of Nigeria.
*
Shirani Bandaranayake
Upatissa Atapattu Bandaranayake Wasala Mudiyanse Ralahamilage Shirani Anshumala Bandaranayake (known as Shirani Bandaranayake; born April 1958) served as the 43rd Chief Justice of Sri Lanka. Although a qualified lawyer, she has never practiced la ...
- Former
Chief Justice of Sri Lanka
The Chief Justice of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the head of the judiciary of Sri Lanka and the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. Established in 1801, the Chief Justice is one of ten Supreme Court justices; the other nine are t ...
, noted Sri Lankan jurist.
*
Henry M. Joko-Smart
Dr. Henry M. Joko-Smart (born 15 June 1934 Bonthe, British Sierra Leone) is a former Sierra Leonean law professor, educator and Supreme Court of Sierra Leone, Supreme Court justice.
Early life
Joko-Smart attended St. Edward's Secondary School ...
- Supreme Court Justice of Sierra Leone.
Academics
*
Muhammad Mohar Ali
Muhammad Mohar Ali ( bn, মোহাম্মদ মোহার আলী); 1929–2007) was a British Bangladeshi Islamic scholar, historian and barrister. He is the only Bengali to have received the King Faisal International Prize.
Acade ...
- Bangladeshi
Islamic Law
Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the ...
scholar.
*
Antony Nicholas Allott -
comparative law
Comparative law is the study of differences and similarities between the law (legal systems) of different countries. More specifically, it involves the study of the different legal "systems" (or "families") in existence in the world, including the ...
theorist, Professor of Asian Laws at SOAS
*
Mohammad Hashim Kamali
Mohammad Hashim Kamali (Pashto/Dari: ; born 7 February 1944) is an Afghan Islamic scholar and former professor of law at the International Islamic University of Malaysia. He taught Islamic law and jurisprudence between 1985 and 2004. One author ...
- Leading expert on Islamic law, noted Afghan academic.
*
Chibli Mallat
Chibli Mallat (May 10, 1960) is an international lawyer, a law professor, and a former candidate for presidency in Lebanon.
Career
Lawyer and law professor
In his law practice, he is best known for bringing the case of Victims of Sabra and Shat ...
- International lawyer, a law professor, and a former candidate for presidency in Lebanon.
* M. Ershadul Bari - Leading Bangladeshi Constitutional Law expert. He did his PhD in Constitutional Law from SOAS, University of London on a Commonwealth Academic Staff Scholarship in 1985. He was the Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Dhaka from 1991 to 2001. Subsequently, Professor Bari was appointed the Vice-Chancellor of Bangladesh Open University- a position which he held for nearly 6 years. He, later, served the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as a Professor of Law.
Lawyers: Solicitors and Barristers
*
Charles A. Adeogun-Phillips - Former genocide and war crimes prosecutor.
*
Herbert Chitepo
Herbert Wiltshire Pfumaindini Chitepo (15 June 1923 – 18 March 1975) led the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) until he was assassinated in March 1975. Although his murderer remains unidentified, the Rhodesian author Peter Stiff says tha ...
- First black barrister in
Rhodesia, later known as Zimbabwe, and noted contemporary ally of
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe (; ; 21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of the ...
.
*
Sara Hossain - Bangladeshi lawyer.
Politicians and Diplomats
*
Francis K. Butagira - Former Ugandan Ambassador to Germany.
*
Nihal Jayawickrama - Sri Lankan statesmen.
*
David Lammy - British
Labour Party MP, candidate for
Mayor of London
The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom.
The current m ...
in 2016.
*
Mohamed Salih Omer - Sudanese statesman.
*
Aaron Mike Oquaye
Aaron Mike Oquaye (born 4 April 1944) is a Ghanaian barrister and politician who served as the sixth Speaker of Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana from 2017 to 2021. An academic, diplomat and Baptist minister, he previously held the ...
- Ghanaian statesman.
*
Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam - Sri Lankan
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
lawyer, politician and former Member of Parliament.
Activists
*
Husna Ahmad - Bangladeshi environmental campaigner.
*
Ghoncheh Ghavami
Ghoncheh Ghavami (born 1989), also spelled as Goncheh Ghavami ( fa, غنچه قوامی), is a British-Iranian law graduate of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London who was held in solitary confinement in Evin Prison fo ...
- Iranian civil rights activist.
See also
*
Golden triangle (universities)
The golden triangle refers to the triangle formed by the university cities of Cambridge, London and Oxford in the southeast of England. The triangle is occasionally referred to as the Loxbridge triangle, a portmanteau of London and Oxbridge ...
References
External links
SOAS School of Law Journals
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SOAS University of London
Law schools in England
Educational institutions established in 1947
1947 establishments in England