Mission

The Faculty of Law of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” is a leading centre of legal education in Bulgaria and Southeastern Europe. Its mission is to be an engine of science and high education both in the Republic of Bulgaria and in the European academic discourse. The Faculty of Law of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” carries out this mission through a system of policies, which includes organizing of prestigious international and national conferences; publishing a large number of scientific publications, distinguished by their scientific contribution; maintaining a high academic level of lecturers; providing excellent educational opportunities of students, including by maintaining the best law library in the country. The Faculty of Law of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” is an active part of the Bulgarian, European and world scientific community. It is an essential factor for the development of Bulgarian civil society, a symbol of continuity and a source of innovation in the field of legal science.

 

History 

The history of the Faculty of Law of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski” began in 1892, when the legal department of the High School in Sofia was established. It is the third faculty since the founding of Sofia University in 1888, after the Faculty of History and Philology and the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics. On 24th August 1892 the lecturer council of the Higher School accepted the program of study at the Faculty of Law proposed by the Ministry of Education and determined the conditions for the admission of students. The educational course is three years long. The first meeting of the Faculty Council of the Faculty of Law was held on 9th October, 1892. The lectures began on 2nd November, 1892.

 

Initially, the number of students was 22, but by the end of the first school year it was increased to 94, which was almost half of the students of the University. Lectures were given on Roman-Byzantine law, civil law, civil procedure, penal law, penal procedure, history of Bulgarian law, Encyclopedia of law, Latin, French and German. Jurists graduated in prestigious European universities have been invited as lecturers at the Faculty; some of them were Ph.D. in law. The first lecturers at the Faculty were Petar Danchov (Roman Law), Vasil Baldjiev (History of Bulgarian Law), Hristo Stoyanov (Civil Law), Ivan Slavov (Roman Law, Encyclopedia of Law, Civil Procedure), Georgi Zgurev (Penal Procedure, Civil Procedure), Vasil Marinov (Penal Law, Penal Procedure), Marko Balabanov (Byzantine Law, Canonic Law, State Law), Ivan Brozhka (Latin), Stoyan Mihaylovski (French) and Ivan Shishmanov (German). The first dean of the Faculty of Law after the introduction of this position was the prominent Bulgarian jurist and statesman Marko Balabanov. From 1894 Anton Kableshkov (Civil Law, Commercial Law) also became a lecturer. In the academic year 1893-1894 the famous revolutionary, politician and journalist Kiriak Tsankov became a lecturer in German.

 

 

In 1894, the distinguished jurist and politician, Prime Minister of Bulgaria in four cabinets, Dr. Stoyan Danev, became as a private part-time associate professor of international and private international law. In 1897 the great Bulgarian writer Aleko Konstantinov was elected as an associate professor in penal procedure, but his untimely death prevented him from starting his academic career.

In 1902 Exarch Joseph was elected as Honorary Master of Law.

At the end of the 19th century and in the first decade of the 20th century, the lecturer staff of the Faculty of Law included a number of prominent jurists who later played an important role in Bulgarian legal science and practice - Stefan Kirov, Petar Abrashev, Mihail Popoviliev, Yosif Fadenhecht, Stefan Bobchev, Georgi Danailov, Todor Kulev, Simeon Angelov, Venelin Ganev, Petko Stoyanov and others. The education in the Faculty is increased to 4 years. The time between the beginning of the First and the end of the Second World War can be considered as a second period in the development of the Faculty. In the staff of the Faculty of Law are included Lyuben Dikov, Nikola Dolapchiev, Nikola Saranov, Dimitar Silyanovski, Dimitar Mishaykov, Petko Staynov, Stefan Balamezov, Konstantin Katsarov, Petko Venedikov, Ivan Apostolov, Zhivko Stalev, Anastas Totev, Tseko Torbov, Lyuben Vassilev, as well as professors Ivan Bazanov, Simeon Demostenov, Petar Bogaevski, Konstantin Sokolov, who emigrated in Bulgaria after the revolution in Russia.

 

In the first decade after World War II, the Faculty of Law experienced a severe crisis. Contrary to the norms of academic life, a number of authoritative members of the academic community were removed from the Faculty of Law or were forced to leave, including Lyuben Dikov, Venelin Ganev, Petko Venedikov, Ivan Apostolov, G. P. Genov, Nikola Dolapchiev, Nikola Saranov and others. Academic autonomy had been removed. Legal education and legal science were ideologized. The centralized validation of students was introduced as well as their political selection. In 1971 the Unified Centre for the Sciences of State and Law was established, which included the Faculty of Law and the Institute of State and Law at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. In this way, a mechanism was established for decision-making and for subordinating the faculty to an external body, in contrast with academic principles and traditions. Despite of unfavorable conditions in the 1970s and 1980s, the Faculty of Law kept its importance as a centre of academic science and teaching. This is due to the efforts of highly educated lecturers and scientists who worked in it. During this third period in the development of the Faculty in the staff were included Nisim Mevorah, Angel Angelov, Ivan Dermendzhiev, Vladimir Kutikov, Mihail Andreev, Alexander Kozhuharov, Ivan Nenov, Lubomir Radoilski, Boris Spasov, Boris Yanovski, Vitali Tadjer, Lilyana Nenova, Mariya Pavlova, Yordanka Zidarova and others. With the democratic changes after 1989, the independence of the Faculty of Law and the principles of university academic autonomy were restored. The international contacts were expanded and developed.

Students at the Faculty of Law were a number of great representatives of Bulgarian culture – the writers Yordan Yovkov, Ran Bosilek, Georgi Stamatov, Anton Donchev, Dimitar Mantov, Stefan Dichev, Konstantin Konstantinov, Damyan Kalfov, Atanas Mandadjiev, Ana Kamenova, Vladimir Svintila, Diko Fuchedjiev, Petar Slavinski, the poets Dimcho Debelyanov, Hristo Smirnenski, Asen Raztsvetnikov, Asen Bosev, Radoi Ralin, Yordan Stubel, Alexander Gerov, Leda Mileva, Konstantin Pavlov, Trifon Kunev, Veselin Hanchev, the literary and theatre critic and founder of Zlatorog magazine Vladimir Vassilev, the art critic Dragan Tenev, the playwright Ivan Radoev, the actors Konstantin Kisimov and Konstantin Kotsev, the opera singers Boris Hristov and Mihail Popov, the composers Yosif Tsankov and Decho Taralezkov and others.

Values

The main values of the Faculty of Law of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski” are academicism, academic freedom, continuity, innovation, publicity and legitimacy. The academism obliges the lecturers and the students of the Faculty to strive for the highest standards in the field of legal science and education in Law and in International relations. Academic freedom is expressed in the freedom of teaching, in the freedom of research and in the freedom to form and to express opinions in the academic life. The continuity is a consequence of the long history of our faculty, of the uninterrrupted connection between several generations of remarkable Bulgarian jurists, who turned the Faculty of Law of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski” into a symbol of academicism, high standards in education and significant scientific achievements. As well as, the Faculty is a source of innovation in the teaching and research of law. Examples of innovation are the use of modern educational technologies, the internationalization and digitalization of higher education and science, carried out in the Law Faculty of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski”. All activities of the Faculty are open to its lecturers and students, as well as to the society. They are based on clear, pre-announced and public rules and procedures, thus the Faculty of Law of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski” realizes in its daily life the values of publicity and legitimacy.