Before 1855 there was no formal legal education for legal officers & lawyers in the country when Sir Erskine Perry, the then Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Bombay used to lecture on law after court hours. These classes were on a very informal basis and were attended only by a select group of people. A conscious effort was made by a committee to collect funds in order to institute a chair in Jurisprudence at the Elphinstone Institute. This was to be called the Perry Professorship of Jurisprudence, which came to be in 1855.

In 1855, Dr. R. T. Reid (LL. B. Bar-at-Law & the first Judge of the Small Causes Court Bombay) was appointed the first Perry professor of Jurisprudence and the Government Law School (GLS) as it was then called was established at the Elphinstone Institution. The response to the first series of lectures conducted was overwhelming. The Government of India instituted two permanent professorships. The Government Law School has been affiliated with the University of Bombay since 1860 in fact it is older than the University of Bombay and the Bombay High Court itself. The first batch of students of the LL. B. Examination included M. G. Ranade (one of the greatest social reformers and economists of the country). From 1855 - 95 the numerical strength of the GLS grew from 46 to 250 students. Seating space was so scarce in those days that the benches had to be brought in form the Elphinstone School Building nearby.

New Premises

In 1891, the Government Law School was shifted to the Elphinstone College at Kala Ghoda. Classes were held in the evenings, after the regular Arts & Science students dispersed for the day. It wasn't till 1895 that the Government recognised the need for a Principal. The first Principal was L. J. Robertson. It was in this year, that three additional professors were added to the staff, bringing the number of staff members to five.

Gender Bias Removed

This may sound hard to believe, but until 1924, no lady students were admitted to the rolls of the Government Law School, as women were then disqualified from being enrolled as legal practitioners in India. However, the first lady to fight for her rights was Ms. Cornalia Sorabjee, who in 1897 acquired special permission from the University Senate to sit for the examination. This gender bias was ultimately removed by a resolution moved by Dr. Harisingh Gour in the Legislative assembly on February 1, 1922.

Change of Name and Premises

The name, 'Government Law School' was changed to the 'Government Law College' in the year 1925. It was only in 1938 that the college was converted into a full-time institution with classes being held from 10.30 a.m. to 1.15 p.m. It began work under the guidance of the then Principal and Full - Time Professor A. A. A. Fyzee. After this change of status, the Government of Bombay finally decided to allocate a plot in the Churchgate Reclamation scheme, West of Churchgate station for the Government Law College Building.

The College Today

The Government Law College has completed 148 years if establishment on 5th September 2003. The institution tries to impart fine and sound legal knowledge. Over the years the Government Law College has been encouraging co-curricular activities, like Moot Courts, debates, essay competitions and other activities which help in improving the legal knowledge and the oratory and literary skills of our aspiring advocates. It has also encouraged extra curricular from sports to music, dance and drama. Moot court competitions have been held since 1936. The college has also been publishing the College Magazine since 1930 and the Law Review since the past few years. The students have regularly and actively participated in all the activities. The diversity in college has been represented through the various committees like the Student Council, the Moot Court Association, Magazine Committee, Law Reivew Committee, Social Service League, Legal Aid Committee, Sports Committee, Dramatics Committee, Music Circle, Hindi Parishad, Marathi Mandal, Gujrathi Mandal Bazme-Urdu, Placement Committee and Rotract. The College now has a new Library stack room, a Seminar room and additional lecture rooms which are located in the Annex Building that was completed in September 1988. In keeping with its principles of being an educational institution with a rich heritage yet modern outlook, we may be sure that whatever the future may hold for the College it is certain to stay abreast with the changing times.

A strong need for a college crest was felt in 1932-33 under the personal supervision of Capt. Gladstone Solomon, the then Director of Sir Jamshetji Jeejbhoy School of Art. Thus the work of designing the college crest had started.

It comprises of the traditional picture of the blind folded lady who stands for Justice and Law. The sword and the scales in her hands denote the relentlessness and impartiality of law. She is also wearing the legal gown. At her feet is the crowned lion of the Coat of Arms of the University of Bombay. This is an acknowledgement of the affiliation with the University of Bombay. In the background are the rays of the rising sun symbolising our dear Mother country and also Back Bay Reclamation denoting the seat of our college.

No words can elaborate the contribution of this institution to the legal system. It is rightly said that this Institution is great and holds a greater future.