National Law School of India University
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The National Law School of India University (NLSIU) is India's premier institution for under-graduate and graduate legal education. Based in Nagarbhavi, a quiet suburb in the western extremities of the city of Bangalore, the NLSIU was established in 1987 after a statutewas (http://www.nls.ac.in/About/act.htm) enacted for the purpose by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Karnataka, and has officially been in existence since August 29, 1987.
Set up as a "pace-setter and a testing ground for bold experiments in legal education", the NLSIU admits 80 students for its immensely popular 5-year B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) programme every year. Students are chosen on the basis of an immensely competitive all-India entrance exam, held in the month of May. Foreign nationals are encouraged, with five seats being reserved for foreign nationals (preferably from SAARC countries).
The NLSIU started its journey in 1987 under the stewardship of its Founder-Director, Dr. N.R. Madhava Menon and has since had three other directors, including the present director, Dr. A. Jayagovind. The first batch of students joined on July 1, 1988 in the integrated five year B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) course. The first courses commenced even before the college buildings had been built, and thus the NLSIU started functioning off the premises of the Central College, Bangalore University and remained there until 1992, when it eventually moved to its present premises in Nagarbhavi.
In addition to the under-graduate course, it also offers graduate courses in Business Laws and Human Rights, along with Distance Learning programs. Plans are underway to increase the number of courses on offer.
Students from the National Law School have managed to secure a Rhodes Scholarship (two scholarships in the years 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2004) for study in Oxford every single year since 1996, out of the six scholarships allotted annually to India, which is a feat unmatched by any other college in India.
It has been rated the number one law college in India by India Today from 1998, when the magazine started publishing its annual list, through the year 2004, and seems likely to retain the position for many years to come.
External links:
- Official site (http://www.nls.ac.in)
NLSIU has also made a name for itself in Moot Courts and Parliamentary debates at the International level by making its presence felt at the Phillip C. Jessup International Moot Court held in Washington D.C. every year, the Willem C. Vis Commercial Arbitration moot hosted by Pace Law School every year in Vienna, Stetson Environmental moot in Florida, The Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot besides the World Universities Debating Championships and the All-Asian Intervarsity debating championships. In campus, there are a wide range of Internal activities such as study circles, guest lectures and short-term courses on interdisciplinary areas. Co-curriculars prominently include debates, quizzes, music and theatre. NLS also hosts an inter-collegiate literary and cultural festival called 'Legala' along with 'Strawberry field' which is India's biggest rock-show by way of drawing more than 50 bands in the 2003 and 2004 editions. It also hosts its own parliamentary-style debate which gets participation from foreign universities.