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| University of Bucharest Faculty of Law | |
|---|---|
| Name | University of Bucharest Faculty of Law |
| Native name | Facultatea de Drept, Universitatea din București |
| Established | 1864 |
| Type | Public |
| City | Bucharest |
| Country | Romania |
University of Bucharest Faculty of Law is the law faculty of University of Bucharest founded in 1864 as part of the modernizing wave following the Unification of the Romanian Principalities. It has educated jurists, statesmen, and diplomats active in institutions such as the Romanian Parliament, European Court of Human Rights, and International Criminal Court. The faculty maintains links with regional centers like the Bucharest Bar Association, Council of Europe, and World Bank legal programs.
The faculty's origins trace to the creation of the University of Bucharest during the reign of Alexandru Ioan Cuza, contemporaneous with reforms led by figures such as Mihail Kogălniceanu and Nicolae Iorga. Early curricula mirrored models from the University of Paris, the University of Vienna, and the University of Rome La Sapienza, influenced by jurists trained under the Napoleonic Code tradition and Austro-Hungarian legal scholarship. Through the Second Balkan War era and interwar period, graduates served in cabinets of Ion I. C. Brătianu and participated in drafting instruments arising from the Treaty of Trianon and the Little Entente. During the communist period the faculty underwent ideological reorganization paralleling institutions such as the Academy of Sciences of the USSR; after the Romanian Revolution of 1989 it reoriented towards European integration exemplified by Romania's accession to the European Union and participation in NATO.
Administration is structured under the University of Bucharest rectorate with a dean elected by faculty, operating alongside departments such as Civil Law, Criminal Law, Public Law, International Law, and Commercial Law. Decision-making bodies include the Faculty Council, akin to governance at the Council of Europe legal committees, and quality assurance follows standards recommended by the European Higher Education Area and the Bologna Process. External advisory relationships exist with the Romanian Ministry of Justice, Permanent Court of Arbitration, and professional organizations like the Union Internationale des Avocats.
Programs span undergraduate, master's, and doctoral levels with specializations in Civil Law, Criminal Law, Administrative Law, International Law, and European Law. Joint and exchange programs include partnerships with the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Leiden University, Humboldt University of Berlin, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Université Libre de Bruxelles, and Harvard Law School summer offerings. Professional training is coordinated with the Romanian Bar Association and internships placed at institutions such as the European Court of Justice, Interpol, and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.
Research centers focus on comparative law, human rights, economic law, and transitional justice, collaborating with entities like the European Court of Human Rights, United Nations Human Rights Council, OSCE, and the Council of Europe Venice Commission. Notable initiatives have produced scholarship on the European Convention on Human Rights, the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, and anti-corruption instruments linked to the Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO). The faculty hosts conferences attracting participants from Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Yale Law School, and the Sapienza University of Rome.
Admissions are competitive, using national and faculty-specific examinations aligned with standards from the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education and exchanges under the Erasmus+ program. Student organizations include moot court teams participating in competitions such as the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, the International Criminal Court Trial Competition, and the European Human Rights Moot Court Competition. Student life connects with campus chapters of the European Law Students' Association, the Red Cross, and cultural societies tied to events at the Romanian Athenaeum and the National Theatre Bucharest.
Alumni and faculty have included prime ministers and jurists who served in institutions like the Constitutional Court of Romania, the European Court of Human Rights, and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Figures connected by affiliation or collaboration include Romanian statesmen such as Ionel Brătianu, judges like Nicolas Bratza, scholars with ties to the Max Planck Society, and diplomats accredited to the United Nations. Professors have engaged in advisory roles for the European Commission and the World Trade Organization.
The faculty is located in central Bucharest near landmarks such as the University Square, the University of Bucharest Library, and the National Museum of Romanian History. Facilities include lecture halls adapted for moot courts, specialized law libraries with collections referencing the Corpus Juris Civilis, digital resources accessible through consortia like CECOA, and clinics offering legal aid in cooperation with the Romanian Ombudsman.
Rankings position the faculty among leading Romanian legal schools and within regional assessments by organizations such as the Times Higher Education, QS World University Rankings, and the Academic Ranking of World Universities in subject indicators for Law and Legal Studies. Reputation benefits from alumni presence in the European Court of Justice, national ministries, and international organizations including the United Nations.