The Law Faculty

Oxford’s Law Faculty is the largest in the UK, and is home to many of the world’s leading legal scholars. The idea of bringing the study of the common law into universities was conceived here in 1758, when Sir William Blackstone became the first Vinerian Professor of English Law. Today, the Faculty has unparalleled depth in English public and private law, and special strengths in the philosophy of law, comparative law, international law and European law. Specialist centres in criminology, socio-legal studies and intellectual property mean that Oxford is now unsurpassed as a place for interdisciplinary work connected with the law and its development. The Faculty is currently developing an alliance in Law and Finance with the University’s Saïd Business School.

An iconic, Grade II listed, 1960s structure which currently accommodates both the Law and English faculties, the St Cross building is among the University’s most notable buildings from the twentieth century. It is a celebrated work of the late Sir John Leslie Martin (architect of the Royal Festival Hall in London) and the late Colin St John Wilson (architect of the New British Library). Another major contributor to the project was Patrick Hodgkinson (principal architect of London’s Brunswick Centre). A proposed renovation will build from its heritage and bring the Centres of Criminology and Socio-Legal Studies to join the Law Faculty within the building.

The renovation proposes the creation of six new centres within St Cross, which would be delineated as distinct entities, all to be accessed from a single entrance, with a shared cafeteria, public lecture and seminar rooms grouped together on the lower ground floor. These centres – the Bodleian Law Library, the Law Faculty, the Centre for Criminology, the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, the Intellectual Property Research Centre and the Institute for European and Comparative Law – will offer faculty, students and visitors the chance to access a wide range of legal facilities within a single location.