University of Pretoria Faculty of Law

The University of Pretoria Faculty of Law was established in 1908. It consists of six academic departments, six centres, two law clinics, and the Pretoria University Law Press (PULP).[4] This faculty ranked best in Africa for the fourth year in a row[5] with leading Departments of Jurisprudence; Mercantile Law; Private Law; Procedural Law; Public Law; and Centre for Human Rights. The faculty offers the undergraduate LLB degree, and postgraduate LLM/MPhil and LLD/PhD degrees. 

University of Pretoria
Faculty of Law
Former names
Transvaal University College (1908–1930)[1]
TypePublic
Law school
Established1908
DeanElsabe Schoeman
Location
South AfricaPretoria
,
Gauteng
,
South Africa
CampusHatfield
ColoursBlue, Gold and Red      
NicknameTuks or Tukkies[2]
AffiliationsUniversity of Pretoria
MascotOom Gert[3]
WebsiteFaculty of Law

The Oliver R Tambo Law Library houses the faculty's collection of legal materials and the Law of Africa collection in the library is the single most comprehensive and current collection of primary legal materials of African countries.[6]

The faculty organises the annual African and World Human Rights Moot Court Competition. In 2006, faculty's Centre for Human Rights received the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education.[7] Since 1997, the university has produced more research output every year than any other institution of higher learning in South Africa, as measured by the Department of Education's accreditation benchmark.[8]

History

The proposal for a university for the capital, first mooted in the Volksraad in 1889, was interrupted by the outbreak of the Anglo Boer War in 1899. In 1902, after the signing of the Peace of Vereeniging, the Normal College for teacher training was established in Groenkloof, Pretoria and in 1904 the Transvaal Technical Institute, with emphasis on mining education, opened in Johannesburg. In 1906, the Transvaal Technical Institute changed its name to the Transvaal University College (TUC).[9] On 4 March 1908, when the Transvaal University College (TUC) transferred its arts and science courses to its newly established Pretoria Campus, the precursor to the university was established, initially offering courses in languages, sciences, and law.[10][11]

In November 2019, Elsabe Schoeman became Dean of UP Law.[12] Since August 2020, the Deputy Dean for Teaching and Learning is Professor Charles Maimela, the youngest and first black Deputy Dean at UP Law.[13]

UP Law currently employs approximately 70 dedicated full-time academics.[14]

Global ranking

UP Law got a global 78th-placed ranking in 2023 and 60th in 2022,[15] making it the highest ranked Faculty of Law on the African continent.[16]

The faculty has conferred 179 masters' and 35 doctoral graduates in 2017, followed by 173 master's and 27 doctoral graduates in 2018.[17] In 2019, UP Law conferred 18 doctoral and 246 Master's degrees.[18]

Faculty of Law building
The University of Pretoria Old Arts building

Centres, Units and Institutes

Centres, Units & Institutes in the faculty include the Centre for Advanced Corporate & Insolvency Law, Centre for Child Law, Centre for Human Rights, Centre for Intellectual Property Law, Centre for Medicine & Law, Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa and Sports Law Centre in Africa. The Centres, Units & Institutes have a research and academic purpose.

Centre for Human Rights
Main article: Centre for Human Rights

The Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, is an organisation dedicated to promoting human rights on the continent of Africa. The centre, founded in 1986, promotes human rights through educational outreach, including multinational conferences, seminars and publications such as Human Rights Law in Africa, The African Human Rights Law Journal, the African Human Rights Law Reports and The Constitutional Law of South Africa. The centre, which was founded during Apartheid, help adapt a Bill of Rights for South Africa and contributed to creating the South African Constitution.[19] In 2006, the centre received the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education.[7]

Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa

The Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa (ICLA), established at the beginning of 2011, is a research institute in the Faculty of Law with Professors Erika de Wet and Christof Heyns (the United Nations Special Rapporteur for extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions) being appointed as co-directors.[6]

The ICLA co-ordinates the Oxford Constitutions Online African country reports and collaborates with the Centre for Human Rights to co-ordinate the Oxford Reports on International Law in Domestic Courts (ILDC) Online African case law.[6]

Centre for Child Law

The Centre for Child was established in 1998 and is enjoyed recognition as a law clinic by the Law Society. Established in 2003, the centre's Children's Litigation Project acts as amicus curiae in litigation in relation to children's rights through, appearing in several cases before the North and South Gauteng High Court, Supreme Court of Appeal and Constitutional Court.[20][21]

Moot Court Competitions
Moot court Institution Founded Location
African Human Rights Moot Court Competition Organised by the University of Pretoria Faculty of Law 1992 Held at participating law schools across the African continent
South African National Schools Moot Court Competition Organised annually by a different grouping of law schools 2011 National oral rounds take place at the University of Pretoria Faculty of Law, Pretoria and the finals at the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg
World Human Rights Moot Court Competition Organised by the University of Pretoria Faculty of Law 2009 Pretoria
African Trade Moot Organised by the University of Pretoria Faculty of Law, University of the Western Cape Pretoria and Cape Town
Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition Organised by the International Institute of Space Law The Africa Regional Round is hosted by the Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa, University of Pretoria Faculty of Law

Pretoria University Law Press

The Pretoria University Law Press (PULP), within the Faculty of Law, publishes and distributes advanced scholarly legal texts in English, Afrikaans, French, Arabic and Portuguese.[22] PULP publishes a series of collections of legal documents related to African public law and legal textbooks from other African countries and is a member of the Publishers' association of South Africa.[23]

Student activities

Law students participate in the following activities:

  • The Constitutional Tribunal is the judicial body of student governance and adjudicates disputes primarily between student organisations and its judges sit on the panel of student disciplinary hearings.
  • The Pretoria Student Law Review (PSLR), published by PULP, is a student driven and administered initiative providing an interactive student platform for to discuss topical legal matters.[24]
  • Law House provides a platform for social engagement, community outreach and student engagement with the faculty.
  • Several internal and external moot court competitions through the Moot and Debating Society.
  • The Student Disciplinary Advisory Panel (SDAP) may give advice to students appearing in front of student disciplinary hearings regarding the procedure of student disciplinary hearings.

Alumni

Well-known alumni include:[25]

Politicians
  • Pik Botha,[26] Minister of Foreign Affairs and later Minister of Mineral and Energy Affairs
  • Ronald Lamola,[27] Minister of Justice and Correctional Services (since May 2019)
  • Nelson Mandela,[28] President of South Africa (1994 – 1999), honorary doctorate
  • Andries Nel,[29] Deputy Minister of Justice and Correctional Services and now Deputy Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
  • J. G. Strijdom,[30] Prime Minister of South Africa (1954 – 1958)

Justices/Judges

Other

See also

Notes
  1. History
  2. "History of the University of Pretoria". Archived from the original on 1 November 2009. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  3. "Oom Gert". University of Pretoria. Archived from the original on 19 February 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
  4. "Pretoria University Law Press (PULP)".
  5. "Faculty of Law Brochure 2020" (PDF).
  6. "About the ICLA". University of Pretoria. 19 January 2012.
  7. Europe Intelligence Wire. (2003-Jan-07) UNESCO awards Czech film festival One World
  8. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. "University of Pretoria Historical Overview". University of Pretoria. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
  10. "Universiteit Van Pretoria". Encyclopædia Britannica.
  11. "Special Edition in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Geology Department at the University of Pretoria". Sajg.geoscienceworld.org. 1 September 2008.
  12. "UP welcomes new Dean of the Faculty of Law Professor Elsabe Schoeman | University of Pretoria". up.ac.za. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  13. "UP's Faculty of Law welcomes Prof Charles Maimela as Deputy Dean in historical appointment | University of Pretoria". up.ac.za. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  14. "Faculty of Law | University of Pretoria". up.ac.za. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  15. "World University Rankings 2023 by subject: law". Times Higher Education (THE). 25 October 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  16. "UP's Faculty of Law in top 100 world university rankings". De Rebus. 16 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  17. "Record year for UP Faculty of Law | University of Pretoria". up.ac.za. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  18. "UP Law raises the bar again in respect of the number of degrees conferred in 2019 | University of Pretoria". up.ac.za. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  19. UNESCO, Human Rights and Gender Equality Section, Division of Human Rights, Human Security and Philosophy. (2006-Dec-11) University of Pretoria's Centre for Human Rights wins 2006 UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education portal.unesco.org.
  20. "Centre for Child Law". University of Pretoria.
  21. "Our Cases". Centreforchildlaw.co.za. 28 September 2012.
  22. "Pretoria University Law Press". University of Pretoria.
  23. "PASA". Publishsa.co.za.
  24. "Pretoria Student Law Review". University of Pretoria.
  25. "Alumni". University of Pretoria. 10 July 2012. Archived from the original on 19 February 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
  26. "University of Pretoria Centenary".
  27. "UP Law alumnus Ronald Lamola named Minister of Justice and Correctional Services | University of Pretoria". up.ac.za. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  28. "Honorary Doctorate Degrees | Article | University of Pretoria". up.ac.za. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  29. "Faculty celebrates opening of Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa (ICLA) | University of Pretoria". up.ac.za. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  30. "Johannes Gerhardus Strijdom | prime minister of South Africa". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  31. "Names in the news: New judges" (PDF). Advocate. 14: 14. 2001 – via General Council of the Bar of South Africa.
  32. "TuksLaw alumni and staff members excel | University of Pretoria". up.ac.za. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  33. Motau, Koketšo. "Mabel jansen". ewn.co.za. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  34. Khumalo, Simphiwe. "Justice Johann Kriegler". Centre for Human Rights. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  35. Rumpff, Frans Lourens Herman (1952). "Frans Lourens Herman Rumpff (Chief Justice of South Africa, 1974-1982) : treason trial 1957-1960". hdl:2263/60036. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  36. "University of Pretoria awards honorary doctorate to Justice Dikgang Moseneke | University of Pretoria". up.ac.za. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  37. "Advocate George Bizos received an honorary doctorate at the University's LLM graduations | University of Pretoria". up.ac.za. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  38. "George Bizos obituary". The Guardian. 15 September 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  39. "Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions". University of Pretoria. 27 October 2011. Archived from the original on 16 September 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
  40. Probert, Thomas. "Christof Heyns: South African scholar who left his mark on the world's human rights systems". The Conversation. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  41. "Prof Dire Tladi". Sun025.sun.ac.za. Archived from the original on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
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