University of Waikato, Faculty of Law
Te Wähanga Ture
Established	1990
Dean	Professor Bradford Morse BA Rutgers LLB B.C LLM Osg.H
Deputy Dean	Professor Margaret Wilson LLB (Hons) MJur Auck HonD Waikato
Location	Hamilton Hamilton, New Zealand Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland... , New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
Students	3,948 (as of 2009)
Home page	http://www.waikato.ac.nz/law/

The University of Waikato Faculty of Law was founded in 1990 and is one of seven faculties that make up the University of Waikato

University of Waikato

The University of Waikato is located in Hamilton and Tauranga, New Zealand, and was established in 1964. It has strengths across a broad range of subject areas, particularly its degrees in Computer Science and in Management...

. The Faculty is located in the on the south east side of the Hillcrest Campus in Hamilton, which is accessible from Hillcrest Road. The Law Faculty is also located in Tauranga at the Tauranga University of Waikato campus.

History and Today

The Law Faculty adopted the principles of professionalism, biculturalism and the study of law in context. One of the key founders of the Waikato Faculty of Law was the 27th Speaker of the House

Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives

In New Zealand the Speaker of the House of Representatives is the individual who chairs the country's legislative body, the New Zealand House of Representatives...

 Margaret Wilson

Margaret Wilson

Dame Margaret Wilson DCNZM is a New Zealand academic and former politician. She was Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives during the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand. She is a member of the Labour Party.-Early life:...

 who returned to this faculty as a professor in January 2009. Margaret helped create the Law Faculty from just a dream to reality.

The Faculty of Law annually takes in up to 400 full and part time students into its LLB course, however in 2010 this number was deliberately decreased.

The Faculty of Law focuses on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as opposed to a more adversarial approach. As well as offering graduates their Bachelor of Laws (LLB), if students elect to take Commercial Transactions as well as Mediation: Laws, Principles and Practice, they may also apply for Associate status with the Arbitrators and Mediators Institute of New Zealand (AMINZ). This gives them professional status when conducting these activities and is globally recognised.

As at 2010, the Faculty is composed of 28 full-time academic staff members, with 6 honorary professors, 4 full professors, 2 associate professors, 10 senior lecturers, and 6 lecturers.

Changes to the Law Faculty

In September 2009, Professor Bradford W. Morse was welcomed to the University of Waikato, commencing the position as the new Dean of Law at the Law Faculty. Morse has stated he has big plans for the Law Faculty including making it the best in New Zealand within 6 years time. Morse comes from the University of Ottawa

University of Ottawa

The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...

and has a passion for indigenous law.

In early 2010 several changes were being implemented, these included various cosmetic renovations to the law faculty itself and the changing of its name from the Waikato Law School to the Waikato Law Faculty. The name change coincides with Morse's plans of transforming the Faculty of Law to the best in New Zealand.