In September 2020, the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (UCASS) launched a restructuring and reform plan to better integrate research with teaching. As part of this effort, the School of Law was officially established. The School draws primarily on the combined strengths of UCASS, the Institute of Law and the Institute of International Law of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), adopting a new model of research-teaching integration to cultivate high-caliber legal talents. The inaugural Dean of the School was Professor Chen Su, a Member of CASS and then Director of the CASS Institute of Law. The current Dean is Professor Mo Jihong, a Member of CASS and Director of the Institute of Law.

The School currently offers an undergraduate program in Law, as well as master’s programs and doctoral programs in the first-level discipline of Law. It also provides the Juris Master (J.M.) professional program and a doctoral program in the first-level discipline of Discipline Inspection and Supervision, and hosts a postdoctoral research station. Notably, it ranks among the first six institutions nationwide accredited to grant doctoral degrees in Law. It currently has over 1,100 enrolled students and 28 postdoctoral researchers.

The School has 138 faculty members, including 71 professors, 58 associate professors, and 9 lecturers. Over more than six decades of disciplinary development, many renowned scholars have once taught here, such as Zhang Youyu, Li Guangcan, Wang Shuwen, Wang Jiafu, Wu Daying, Li Buyun, Wu Jianfan, Xie Huaishi, Zheng Chengsi, Wang Baoshu, and Liang Huixing. Among these scholars, five of them - Wang Jiafu, Li Buyun, Ma Xiangcong, Liu Hainian, and Zhang Qingfu - were honored by the China Law Society with the title of "National Distinguished Senior Jurists." A total of eight faculty members have been elected as Members of CASS, and seven as Honorary Members of CASS. Among them, the current Members of CASS—Li Lin, Sun Xianzhong, Chen Su, and Mo Jihong—hold prominent and influential positions in the field of law.

Over 70 faculty members have been selected for major national talent programs or have received prestigious honors. These include: one recipient of the "Pioneers of Reform and Opening-up" title; one National Advanced Worker; 40 recipients of the State Council Special Allowance; two recipients of the "National Ten Thousand Talents Program" Award for Leading Talents in Philosophy and Social Sciences; two recipients of the "National Ten Thousand Talents Program" Award for Young Top-notch Talents; two recipients of the "National Cultural Masters and 'Four Batches of Talents" Project; six recipients of the "National Hundred, Thousand and Ten Thousand Talents Project"; and 11 recipients of the "National Outstanding Young Jurists" Award. Currently, nine faculty members serve as editors-in-chief or deputy editors-in-chief of leading academic journals in China and abroad. Since 2016, 45 faculty members have served as presidents, vice presidents, or secretaries-general of national first-level academic societies.

The School's research outputs have been truly remarkable. In the past five years alone, faculty members have published over 40 articles in the three most authoritative journals - China-Social Sciences in China, Chinese Journal of Law, and China Legal Science-and over 400 articles in other core law journals (CLSCI). They have also published 208 monographs, undertaken more than 50 major and key projects (including those funded by the National Social Science Fund of China, major provincial and ministerial-level projects, and major projects of CASS), and received over 50 important domestic and international prizes and distinctions. The School has set up more than 100 domestic and international collaborative bases and platforms for training and research in law in partnerships of other institutions.

Since the reform and opening up, four faculty members, including Wang Jiafu and Li Lin, have been invited to give lectures for the collective study sessions of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and five have served as keynote speakers at the Zhongnanhai Legal Seminars. Faculty members have been entrusted with over 100 research projects by the central government and related agencies. They have been involved in drafting, revising and reviewing more than 400 legislative bills and regulatory documents including the Civil Code of the People's Republic of China, playing a significant role in shaping national legislation and major legal policy decisions.

The School places great emphasis on international exchanges and cooperation. It has established exchange and collaborative relationships with dozens of leading law schools and legal research institutions worldwide. Dean Mo Jihong serves as Honorary Lifetime President of the International Association of Constitutional Law, and Vice Dean Liu Huawen serves as member of the UN Committee against Torture and Vice President of the Asian Society of International Law. They have made important contributions to enhancing the international influence of Chinese legal scholarship and to articulating China's voice in the global arena.

Leveraging the strong faculty and research capabilities of the Institute of Law and the Institute of International Law of CASS, along with such platforms as Chinese Journal of Law, Global Law Review, International Law Review, and Civil and Commercial Law Review, the School has developed an innovative, research-driven talent cultivation model with a distinct UCASS identity. In recent years, the School has achieved notable success in legal education. Its graduates have gone on to work in legal research and education, as well as in Party and government agencies, judicial and disciplinary supervision departments, law firms, and large corporations, making significant contributions to the advancement of the rule of law in China.

Looking ahead, the School of Law will continue to adhere to the correct political direction and academic orientation, emphasizing the integration of legal theory with the practice of the rule of law. Guided by a training philosophy centered on "guidance by renowned faculty, integration of research and teaching, and connectivity between undergraduate and graduate programs," the School will focus on elite legal education. It is committed to cultivating high-caliber legal talents who support the leadership of the Communist Party of China, possess a strong sense of national mission and global vision, and are equipped with a solid theoretical foundation and professional ethics, who are versatile, innovative, globally oriented, and ready to lead.

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