The Legal Education in Tamil Nadu has a long and interesting history. Mr. George Norton was the first to conceive the idea of Legal education in Madras. The genesis of Legal Education can be traced to the informal law classes conducted by him in his house in the form of conversations in the early 19th Century.
In 1852 under the Direction of the Governor Sir Henry Pottinger, a Government High School was expanded into the Presidency College. Mr. John Bruce Norton who was appointed as the first Professor of Law in 1855 delivered his lectures at the Presidency College. Till 1884 there was only one Professor of Law in the Presidency College. In 1884 to supplement lectures by tutorials a second Professor was appointed. To him was entrusted the tutorial work. The Scheme was put on trial for two years. Since it proved a success it was continued for two more years from 1st January 1886.
Mr. H.B. Grigg, the Director of Public Instruction evinced keen interest in improving the status of the Legal education. He sent a proposal to the Government for setting up a Central Law College in Madras. The Government concurred with the conclusion of the Director of Public Instruction that changes were necessary in the arrangements for law Instruction and that an independent institution should be established. In 1885 Hon’ble Justice Muthusamy Ayyar gave his warm support to the proposal.
The establishment of the Law College as an independent institution under the Control of the Director of Public Instruction was sanctioned by the Secretary of State, on the advice of the Council of Legal Studies (Education) in London. Mr. Reginald, A. Nelson, the first Principal, entered upon his duties on 2nd May 1891. Thus, the Law College was housed at Senate House of the University of Madras. A project to place the new institution as near the High Court as possible led to the selection of a site for erecting a structure to the west of the High Court building. The building of the law College was designed by Mr. Henry Irwin, the Government Architect. The Law College moved into this building on 9th January, 1899. As a Natural consequence of gaining a building of its own, the Law College was converted into a whole-time institution.
This institution had the privilege of being the second oldest college in the country and the first law college started in south India.
The year 1953 witnessed a vital change in the set up of legal education in the State. A separate Department of Legal Studies was created and Director of Legal Studies was appointed for the first time.
The law college acquired a hostel of its own in 1959. The College celebrated its Platinum Jubilee in 1968. In 1991 the college completed 100 years. In 1999 the Building Centenary was celebrated. In the early seventies, the law college was upgraded as a Post Graduate institution with the introduction of M.L. courses. From 1973-1974 the Tamil language has also been made as a medium of instruction in Law as a part of a Government Policy to introduce Tamil as Official Language at all levels in the State.
A new two storeyed block was constructed in 1976 and an auditorium in 1978 – A hostel for the law college women students was started in 1977-1978. Further a new two storeyed block has been constructed for the library in the law college campus in 2007.
The separation of the Directorate of Legal Studies from the Madras Law College in November 1981 was an important step taken by the government to improve the Department of Legal Studies. Presently it is housed in our own building at Purasawalkam High Road, Kilpauk, Chennai – 600010.
In order to encourage scholarship and research in law the Department has been publishing a Year Book of Legal Studies since 1955.
The Government of Tamil Nadu has renamed the Madras Law College as Dr.Ambedkar Government Law College in commemoration of the birth centenary of Dr. B.R.Ambedkar in 1990.
The Dr.Ambedkar Government Law College, Chennai is affliated to the Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University, Chennai from the academic year 1997-98
The college has the high prestigious record of having many illustrious students – Former President of India Thiru R.Venkataraman (1987-92) , Former Supreme Court Chief Justices- Thiru Pathanchali Sastry ( 1951 – 54 ) , Thiru Koka Subba Rao ( 1958 – 1967 ) , Thiru P. Sadasivam ( 2013 ), Former Supreme Court Judges- Thiru V. R. Krishna Aiyar, Thiru P.Satyanarayana Raju , Thiru. V Balakrishna Eradi, Tmt.Banumathi , over 37 Supreme Court Lawyers and 1000 High Court Judges including Thiru. M. Karpagavinayagam, Thiru. V. Periyakaruppiah, Thiru.P.D Dinakaran , Former Central Ministers including Thiru. P. Chidambaram, State Chief Ministers including Thiru. Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy, Thiru. C. Sankaran Nair, a former President of the Indian National Congress and many government officials.
In pursuance of the direction of the High court vide Writ Petition No. 11806 0f 2017 and vide G.0 No.188/2017 dated 28.06.2018 , the Dr. Ambedkar Government Law college located in the High Court campus was bifurcated and shifted to two different campuses from the academic year 2018-2019, one of which is located at Pattaraiperumpudur, Tiruvallur District. Due to bifurcation the name of the college is called as Chennai Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College, Pattaraiperumpudur, Tiruvallur. The college offers 3 Years LL.B. Degree Course and 2 Years LL.M. Degree Course under four specializations.