UCD Sutherland School of Law receives accreditation from Bar Council of India

The UCD Sutherland School of Law is honoured to have formally received accreditation from the Bar Council of India for all undergraduate law programmes. This is a significant development. It comes after the Bar Council carried out an extensive review of the School’s degree programmes, teaching and learning resources, facilities and student support systems during a visit led by the Chair of the Bar Council to the School in October 2016.

The outcome of this was the co-signing of a Letter of Intent in the headquarters of the Bar Council of India in Delhi by UCD President, Professor Andrew J Deeks and the Honourable Chairman, Bar Council of India, Mr Manan Kumar Mishra, in March 2017. Speaking afterwards, UCD President, Professor Andrew J Deeks said that “University College Dublin is honoured to receive this prestigious accreditation for UCD’s undergraduate law programmes, and we look forward to working with the Bar Council, and to forging new relationships through this unique opportunity.” The Honourable Chairman of the Bar Council of India, Mr. Manan Kumar Mishra stated “Over the past twelve months, the Bar Council of India has had the opportunity to visit the UCD Sutherland School of Law, and to see first-hand, the level and quality of the UCD undergraduate law programmes. The Bar Council is delighted to bestow this accreditation to University College Dublin, which is the first Irish Institution to receive this acknowledgement.”

Professor Andrew J Deeks wit the Honourable Chairman, Bar Council of India, Mr Manan Kumar Mishra

On receipt of the accreditation letter from the Bar Council, Professor Joe McMahon, Dean and Head of the UCD Sutherland School of Law, commented “the accreditation represents an historic departure for Ireland, for UCD, Ireland’s Global University and for Ireland’s leading Law School. The presence of Indian students in the School’s undergraduate programme will add to the great diversity of students from around the world currently enjoying their studies at both graduate and undergraduate levels here in the Sutherland School of Law.”

Professor Andrew Deeks with Professor Colin Scott, Principal of the College of Social Sciences and Law

The Bar Council of India was established by Parliament under the Advocates Act, 1961. It is a statutory body that regulates and represents the Indian bar. It performs the regulatory function by prescribing standards of professional conduct and etiquette and by exercising disciplinary jurisdiction over the bar. It sets standards for legal education and grants recognition to universities whose degree in law will serve as qualification for enrolment as an advocate. The Bar Council performs certain representative functions by protecting the rights, privileges and interests of advocates and through the creation of funds for providing financial assistance to organise welfare schemes for them.