Professor of Law (Cambridge) explained

Post:	Professorship of Law (1973)
Appointer:	The Board of Electors to the Professorship of Law (1973), chaired by the Vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge or his Deputy
Constituting Instrument:	Chapter XI, Statutes and Ordinances of the University of Cambridge^[1]
Residence:	University of Cambridge
Salary:	£71,404–£186,919^[2]
Formation:	1973
Incumbent:	None (since 30 September 2019)
Type:	Professorship
Department:	Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge
Style:	Professor

The Professorship of Law is a permanently-established professorship in law at the University of Cambridge, founded in 1973.^[3] It is not linked to any particular field of law, and its most recent holder was the English legal comparativist, John Bell.^[4] Bell now holds the title Emeritus Professor of Law (1973).^[5]

Its holders are chosen based on an outstanding teaching and research record of international stature in their field of scholarship, their commitment to building a leading research presence, the ability to further the academic planning and strategic development of law at the university, the ability to work with other teachers and students, and their enthusiasm towards training the next generation of researchers.^[6]

The university has also established a number of other Professorships of Law for single tenures (i.e. as personal chairs), for specific individuals.

Professors of Law (1973)

1. Kurt Lipstein (1973–1976)
2. S. F. C. Milsom (1976–1990)
3. Bill Cornish (1990–1995)
4. Bob Hepple (1995–2001)
5. John Bell (2001–2019)
6. Campbell McLachlan (elected with effect from July 2024)^{[7] [8]}

Professors of Law (single-tenure establishments)

• Sir David Williams (1996)
• John R. Spencer (1995–2013)
• Kevin Gray (1993–2015)
• Simon Deakin (2006–)

See also

• Rouse Ball Professor of English Law
• Regius Professor of Civil Law (Cambridge)
• Whewell Professor of International Law
• Sir David Williams Professor of Public Law

References

1. https://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/so/pdfs/2016/Cambridge-Statutes-and-Ordinances-2016.pdf University of Cambridge: Single Salary Spine as at 1st August 2019
2. https://www.hr.admin.cam.ac.uk/files/single_salary_spine_as_at_1_august_2019.pdf Statutes and ordinances of the University of Cambridge and passages from acts of Parliament relating to the University
3. Web site: History of the Faculty Faculty of Law. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200922115519/https://www.law.cam.ac.uk/about-faculty/history-faculty. 22 September 2020. 13 November 2020. Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge. The other established chairs in the Faculty are: the Whewell (International Law, 1867), the Rouse Ball (English Law, 1927), the Wolfson (Criminology, 1959), the Arthur Goodhart Visiting Professorship (1971), the Professorship of Law (1973), the S.J. Berwin (Corporate Law, 1991), the Herchel Smith Professorship of Intellectual Property Law (1993), and the Professorship of European Law (1994)..
4. Web site: Professor John Bell FBA. 2020-11-13. The British Academy. en.
5. Web site: Professor John Bell Faculty of Law. 2020-11-13. www.law.cam.ac.uk.
6. Web site: The Professorship of Law (1973). live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201113043744/https://www.hr.admin.cam.ac.uk/files/lawprof.pdf. 13 November 2020. 13 November 2020. Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge.
7. Election, appointments and grants of title . . 27 September 2023 . 6711 . 4 . 19 October 2023.
8. Web site: Professor Campbell McLachlan KC elected to Professorship of Law (1973) . Lauterpacht Centre for International Law, University of Cambridge . 19 October 2023 . 16 August 2023.