About University Of Pretoria Faculty Of Law

Message from Dean André Boraine

The purpose of this message is to introduce you to the Faculty of Law, of which we are very proud and which ranks as one of the best in the country and in Africa. Every year we are inundated with applications from prospective students, and employers are keen to obtain the services of our graduates.
The Faculty currently employs 60 plus dedicated full-time academics, half of whom have doctoral degrees in various fields of law. They are supported by highly motivated administrative and support staff, and together they serve and prepare our student community for the legal profession and its rigorous demands.
Members of the academic staff of the Faculty have contributed significantly to the development of various fields of law over the years and have published a substantial number of textbooks that cover a wide range of topics. The Faculty currently boasts 15 National Research Foundation (NRF)-rated researchers. It is imperative that our academic staff continue to contribute to legal scholarship, inter alia, by assisting with the development of emerging areas of the law.
During the period of political turmoil and the transition to a constitutional democracy, the Faculty formed the Centre for Human Rights. Some Faculty members participated in the drafting of the final (1996) South African Constitution.
As the law is increasingly becoming multifaceted and in certain areas more global, the Faculty maintains professional relations with many international bodies, such as the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), the World Bank and foreign universities. Leading international academics regularly visit us for research or teaching purposes and, in turn, our academics visit foreign universities. The Faculty maintains a strong focus on Africa, in particular, and has established a network with several universities on the continent.
Over the years, the Faculty has produced alumni who have reached the apex of careers in law, some serving as judges in the high courts, the Supreme Court of Appeal and the Constitutional Court, where they have played a significant role in strengthening our judiciary.
At the undergraduate level, the Faculty offers a four-year LLB degree. However, the majority of our students first enrol for a BCom (Law) or BA (Law) degree. We aim to produce LLB graduates who are thoroughly equipped with the required knowledge and skills to follow any of the established career paths in law. With this aim in mind, the Faculty reviewed the LLB curriculum in 2012 and decided to place greater emphasis on an enquiry-led approach in teaching with a view to improving the research skills of our students in order to align our teaching focus with the UP 2025 academic plan. In short, emphasis is placed on legal skills training, which includes written and oral communication, legal research, drafting and mooting.
Faculty Vision
The vision of the Faculty of Law is to strive to be an internationally recognised leader in socially relevant legal research and education in South Africa and in Africa.
Faculty Mission Statement
In pursuing its vision, the Faculty of Law has as its mission the creation and sustenance of a research and education environment that is grounded in values of social justice and excellence.
Faculty Values (aligned with those of the University of Pretoria)
The values of the Faculty of Law are fully aligned with those of the University with a view to creating a culture that reflects these values.
The members of the University of Pretoria Law Faculty believe that:

our community of scholars must be founded on the pursuit of knowledge through research, teaching and learning, with membership acquired on the basis of intellectual merit, ability and the potential for excellence; and that
differing perspectives, arising from diverse backgrounds and histories that define our identities, deepen scholarly inquiry and enrich academic debate.

We cherish:

academic freedom, creative and innovative thought, ethical standards and integrity, accountability and social justice; and
our staff and students, who are the Faculty’s core asset.

We foster:

an inquiry‐led and evidence‐based approach to creating knowledge; and
academic citizenship, whereby we commit ourselves to harnessing our intellectual abilities in the interest of our nation and humanity.

We recognise that:

in a resource‐constrained world where vast disparities remain, the Faculty must endeavour to produce graduates who appreciate the importance of community engagement, entrepreneurial endeavours and innovative actions in generating employment and development in our local communities.