NLS was established in 1986 as an initiative of the Bar Council of India in conjunction with the Karnataka State Government as a “pacesetter and testing ground for bold experiments in legal education.” Admitting the first batch of students in July 1988, it was the first university in the world to be established solely for the purpose of imparting legal education. In the years since its inception, NLS has built itself the reputation of being the best law college in the country to the extent of being recognized as Harvard of the East. Perhaps the best testimony to the success of this experiment is that despite the ‘NLS model’ having been replicated across the country in the last few years, NLS Bangalore has retained its position as the finest law college in the country. India Today and Outlook rankings are testimony to the quality of education imparted at NLS.