Bar-Ilan University Faculty of Law

Bar-Ilan University Faculty of Law
Name	Bar-Ilan University Faculty of Law
Established	1977
Type	Public
City	Ramat Gan
Country	Israel
Campus	Bar-Ilan University

Bar-Ilan University Faculty of Law is the law faculty of a major Israeli university located in Ramat Gan, Israel. It offers undergraduate and graduate legal education with an emphasis on combining Jewish legal traditions with comparative and international law perspectives. The faculty is noted for engagement with Israeli courts, statutory reform, and interdisciplinary ties to philosophy, economics, and public policy institutions.

History

The faculty was founded in 1977 amid national debates involving Zionism, Knesset legislative initiatives, and evolving jurisprudence in the Israel Defense Forces era. Early years saw collaboration with figures associated with the Supreme Court of Israel, the Ministry of Justice (Israel), and scholars connected to Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University. During the 1980s and 1990s it expanded programs influenced by comparative law exchanges with Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, University of Oxford, and University of Cambridge. In the 21st century the faculty developed clinics interfacing with the Beersheba District Court, the Tel Aviv District Court, and the Jerusalem District Court, and hosted conferences on topics related to the Oslo Accords era, constitutional review debates following the Basic Laws of Israel, and legislation shaped by the Knesset Law Committee.

Academic Programs

The faculty confers the LL.B., LL.M., and doctoral degrees, and offers joint degrees with departments linked to Bar-Ilan University Faculty of Exact Sciences, Bar-Ilan University Faculty of Social Sciences, and affiliated programs with the Faculty of Humanities. Course offerings span Israeli statutory courses, comparative constitutional law covering texts from the United States Constitution, the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty, and studies of European doctrines from the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union. Specialized seminars engage with international instruments such as the Geneva Conventions, United Nations Security Council resolutions, and arbitration under the International Chamber of Commerce. Exchange agreements have connected students with institutions like Columbia Law School, University of Toronto Faculty of Law, and Australian National University.

Research Centers and Institutes

The faculty hosts research centers and institutes that collaborate with national and international bodies. Notable units have worked alongside the Israel Democracy Institute, the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, and the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel. Research themes include comparative constitutionalism with ties to scholars from the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, economic regulation connected to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and human rights studies engaging the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice. Additional institutes examine Jewish law in conversation with works preserved in the Talmud and commentary traditions such as those of Maimonides and the Shulchan Aruch.

Faculty and Administration

Faculty members have included jurists and academics who served on panels with the Supreme Court of Israel, advisers to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel), and visiting professors from Princeton University, Stanford University, Yale University, University of Chicago, and London School of Economics. Administrative leadership has engaged with national bodies like the Council for Higher Education (Israel) and parliamentary committees. Scholars at the faculty publish in venues such as the Harvard Law Review, Yale Law Journal, Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, and the Israel Law Review while participating in forums alongside figures from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Red Cross.

Student Life and Clinical Programs

Student organizations mirror national and international legal networks, including moot court teams that compete in competitions like the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, and national rounds hosted by the Israeli Bar Association. Clinics provide experiential training through partnerships with the Legal Aid Bureau (Israel), municipal legal services in Ramat Gan, and advocacy placements with non-governmental organizations such as B'Tselem and Transparency International. Extracurricular activities engage guest lectures by practitioners from the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, alumni serving in the Israel Defense Forces Judge Advocate General's Corps, and internships at the Attorney General (Israel)'s office.

Publications and Journals

The faculty publishes academic journals and book series contributing to domestic and international discourse. Faculty and students contribute to periodicals including the Israel Law Review, special issues aligned with conferences held alongside the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Faculty of Law, and edited volumes addressing topics discussed at symposia with representatives from the European Commission, the United Nations Human Rights Council, and the World Bank. Scholarly output spans comparative studies referencing texts from the Federalist Papers, landmark decisions like Brown v. Board of Education, and jurisprudential debates influenced by thinkers such as H.L.A. Hart and Ronald Dworkin.

Notable Alumni and Contributions

Alumni have held judicial, governmental, and academic posts including appointment to the Supreme Court of Israel, roles in the Knesset, positions within the Ministry of Justice (Israel), and leadership in legal academia at institutions like Tel Aviv University and Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Graduates have influenced legislation debated in the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, participated in international arbitration panels under the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, and served in diplomatic posts at missions to the United Nations and embassies in capitals such as Washington, D.C., London, and Brussels. The faculty's alumni network includes practitioners cited in appellate rulings, contributors to major statutory reforms, and scholars publishing in comparative law venues alongside colleagues from Columbia University, New York University School of Law, and King's College London.

Category:Bar-Ilan University Category:Law schools in Israel