Law teaching in Australia began in 1857 at Melbourne Law School. In 2008, Melbourne Law School celebrates another first, becoming the first all-graduate law faculty in Australia: all entry level students are now admitted to the global standard, Juris Doctor (JD) degree. This new program builds on a rich tradition of success, which has enabled Melbourne Law School graduates to become leaders in legal, political and public life across Australia, and around the world.

The faculty is distinguished by its commitment to the integration of cutting-edge scholarship with teaching and knowledge transfer activities, and by its insistence on the critical importance of cross-disciplinary and comparative analysis across the full range of its degree programs. It is home to more than a dozen research institutes and groups, offering its students and staff both meaningful opportunities for and access to a rich and authentic communal life.