NLSIU was the first National Law University established in India in 1986. The premier law school was set up with a mission to pioneer legal education reforms, and to anchor the transformation of the Indian legal system through research and policy interventions.

Consequently, the NLSIU was one of the first institutions in the country to introduce the five-year integrated law degree at the undergraduate level with the commencement of the first batch in 1988. And for over 30 years now, the University has irrefutably remained a leader in the field of legal education in the country. This long-standing record has been possible due to the strong collaborations between legal academics, the Bar, the Bench and the State Government of Karnataka.