University of Buenos Aires Faculty of Law

University of Buenos Aires Faculty of Law
Name	Faculty of Law, University of Buenos Aires
Native name	Facultad de Derecho, Universidad de Buenos Aires
Established	1821
Type	Public
City	Buenos Aires
Country	Argentina
Campus	Urban

University of Buenos Aires Faculty of Law

The Faculty of Law at the University of Buenos Aires is a leading Argentine faculty located in Buenos Aires with a long tradition of legal education, jurisprudence, and public service. It has influenced Argentine political life through alumni who participated in constitutional drafting, presidential administrations, and landmark judicial decisions. The faculty maintains links with regional institutions and global networks, hosting scholars associated with comparative law, international arbitration, and human rights.

History

Founded in 1821 during the era of Bernardino Rivadavia and contemporaneous with institutions such as the National University of Córdoba, the faculty evolved amid political transformations including the Argentine Civil Wars and the promulgation of the Argentine Constitution of 1853. In the late 19th century the faculty expanded alongside urban projects like the development of Palacio Barolo and public reforms inspired by jurists who engaged with ideas from Alejandro Korn and debates linked to the Generation of '80. During the 20th century professors and alumni interacted with events including the Infamous Decade, the presidencies of Hipólito Yrigoyen and Juan Domingo Perón, and legal responses to the Proceso de Reorganización Nacional. The faculty's role in human rights discussions intensified after the National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons and the Trial of the Juntas, with scholars contributing to constitutional amendments and international claims before bodies like the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Campus and Facilities

The faculty is housed in an urban campus with historical buildings near the Avenida Figueroa Alcorta corridor and civic landmarks such as the Palacio de Justicia de la Nación Argentina and the National Congress of Argentina. Facilities include moot courtrooms modeled after venues like the Supreme Court of Argentina, specialized libraries holding collections on codes and treatises by authors such as Carlos Santiago Nino and Manuel Belgrano (in historical legal contexts), and archival holdings documenting litigation involving the YACYRETA and Falklands War claims. Research centers occupy dedicated spaces for comparative studies on topics connected to the Organization of American States, the United Nations instruments, and regional arbitration institutions modeled after the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

Academics and Programs

The faculty offers the professional degree in law with curriculum components tracing roots to manuals by jurists influenced by Eduardo Wilde and comparative models from Napoleonic Code jurisprudence, while postgraduate programs include master's and doctoral tracks aligned with the Hague Academy of International Law traditions. Specialized courses cover fields such as constitutional litigation shaped by decisions of the Supreme Court of Argentina, international human rights litigation engaging with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, commercial arbitration paralleling practice in the International Chamber of Commerce, and public international law intersecting with cases before the International Court of Justice. Joint programs and exchanges have been developed with faculties linked to the University of Salamanca, Sorbonne University, and Columbia University law faculties.

Research and Publications

Scholarly output comprises periodicals, monographs, and working papers addressing issues raised in rulings from the Supreme Court of the United States in comparative perspective, doctrinal analysis influenced by thinkers such as Gustavo Zagrebelsky and empirical projects on litigation patterns akin to studies from the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law. The faculty edits journals that publish articles on topics related to treaties like the Treaty of Tordesillas only in historical analysis, regional instruments framed by the Mercosur legal regime, and case commentaries tied to precedents from the Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos. Research centers sponsor conferences with delegations from institutions including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Pan American Health Organization to examine regulation, administrative law, and social rights litigation.

Student Life and Organizations

Student life includes competitive advocacy teams that participate in international competitions such as the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition and the International Criminal Court advocacy simulations, and student organizations affiliated with entities like the Argentine Bar Association and the Federación Universitaria de Buenos Aires. Cultural and political student groups organize seminars on historical figures including Hipólito Yrigoyen and Rufino de Elizalde, while legal clinics provide pro bono services to communities affected by matters related to institutions such as the Administración Federal de Ingresos Públicos and the Comisión Nacional por el Derecho a la Identidad.

Notable Alumni and Faculty

Alumni and faculty include presidents and ministers who influenced treaties and constitutional reform, jurists who served on courts analogous to the Supreme Court of Argentina and the International Court of Justice, and scholars who collaborated with organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme. Figures educated or teaching here have engaged with cases involving the National Reorganization Process, served in cabinets alongside leaders like Carlos Menem and Néstor Kirchner, and contributed to scholarship compared with work by contemporaries such as Néstor Kirchner (as political figure) and Carlos Santiago Nino (as jurist). The faculty's network extends to alumni practicing at law firms handling matters before institutions like the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes and participating in commissions modeled after the Truth Commission processes.

Category:University of Buenos Aires