History

The Faculty of Law at Diponegoro University is the oldest faculty within Diponegoro University. Since its establishment in 1957 until now, the Faculty of Law has developed with the improvement of the education system, the increase in the number and quality of teaching staff (lecturers), as well as the increasing number of facilities and infrastructure supporting education. The management of the Faculty of Law is getting better is directed at improving the quality of graduates. Judging from the output produced, the Faculty of Law of Diponegoro University has contributed a lot to the development of the nation’s life in development. The graduates produced have spread throughout Indonesia by occupying positions in the bureaucracy, the private sector, and the community. Contributions to the development of science can be seen from the research carried out, the publication of legal science books that become the standard in the development of legal science at the national level, as well as various legal papers published regularly through magazines and scientific journals as well as through the media.

The development of the Faculty of Law at Diponegoro University in the future, in addition to being based on the needs of the Faculty of Law, also pays attention to the trend of changes in the social order of society at both national and international levels as well as changes in governance. Based on self-evaluation through analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges, the Faculty of Law has sufficient strengths to develop. These strengths include the adequate educational level qualifications of teaching staff (lecturers), the ratio of the number of lecturers to students is ideally maintained, graduates who have a high achievement index, study period and a relatively short waiting period. Even so, the development of the Faculty of Law must continue to be carried out through synergistic collaboration between leaders, lecturers, administrative staff, and also the contribution of students to improve the quality of teaching and the quality of graduates. From a historical point of view, the Faculty of Law at Diponegoro University is a continuation of the Faculty of Law at the University of Semarang. The name of this university is taken from the name of the Semarang University Foundation (Deed of Notary RM. Soeprapto dated December 21, 1956 Number 59: State Gazette dated January 18, 1957 Number 59). The first board of the foundation are:

Semarang University was officially opened on January 9, 1957, in the Semarang City Hall Meeting Room with a public lecture by Mr. Imam Bardjo as the first President of Semarang University with the title “Human Rights”. The establishment of the University of Semarang has received welcome and support from the wider community and also from the Central Java Regional Government. The Central Java Regional House of Representatives in its letter dated June 2, 1957, Number U.159/I/1957 had requested the central government for the University of Semarang to receive recognition from the government. The first faculty to be established was the Faculty of Law which was soon followed by the Academy of State Administration, the Academy of Commerce, and the Academy of Engineering.

At the time of its opening, the Faculty of Law already had 178 students with details: 118 people at Level I, 28 people at Level II, and 32 students as listeners. Those who are accepted at Level II are those who come from other universities (public and private) that are already sitting at that level. A large number of listening students is an indicator of how much public attention is paid to higher education, especially in Semarang. Spontaneous assistance came from legal scholars, both from the District Attorney’s Office, District Courts, and Advocates who were willing to become teaching staff. Some of them even do not want to be given an honorarium. This proves the high spirit to devote themselves to the field of higher education. Considering that the initiators of the university establishment had no pretensions to be able to perfectly organize higher education, they had several times had contact with the leadership of the State University of Gadjah Mada, namely Prof. Dr. Sardjito and Prof. Drs. Notonagoro, SH. Communication was also carried out with the Head of the Faculty of Law, Universitas Gadjah Mada, which at that time was held by Prof. A. Soehardi, SH, and also with the Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Indonesia, Prof. Djoko Soetono. He, knowing that the founders of the University were his former students, was very sympathetic to the purpose of establishing the Faculty of Law in Semarang, but could not help much. However, this moral encouragement strengthened the spirit to continue the struggle.

On the occasion of the commemoration of the 3rd Anniversary of the University of Semarang which was held on January 9, 1960, the President of the Republic of Indonesia was pleased to give a new name to the University of Semarang, namely: Diponegoro University which is still a private university.

Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the University of Semarang Foundation, who since 1958 was related to the move of the President of the University, Imam Bardjo, SH to Jakarta and concurrently also the President of the University, together with the regional leadership of the Central Java Province made efforts to make Diponegoro University (private) a State University. The first result of this effort was the appointment of Sudarto, SH – who previously served as supervisor of the Prosecutor’s Office of Central Java Province and Yogyakarta Special Region as a high-ranking employee seconded to the Faculty of Law (private) University of Diponegoro in the mid-1960s.

To support the operational activities of the lectures, the lecture facilities in the form of rooms and equipment are accepted by the Foundation from the Regional Government and the community. In providing education, the Faculty of Law at Diponegoro University (privately) used the former residence of Gouverner van Midden Java (which was once the building of the Academy of Domestic Administration and also the City Hall, now better known as Wisma Peace). In 1966 at the direction of the Regional War Authority, the Faculty of Law was given a place for offices and lecture halls at Jalan MT Haryono No. 427, which later moved to a wider location, namely Jalan Pemuda No. 63. In 1969 the Faculty of Law moved again to the Pleburan complex on Jalan Imam Barjo SH No.1 Semarang until now.

In line with the Government’s policy at that time to establish a State University in each Level I Region (Province), the (private) University of Diponegoro was reviewed directly by the Head of the Higher Education Coordinating Board, Prof. Dr. Soegiyono Djoenoet Poesponegoro, to consider the possibility of making the (private) University of Diponegoro a State University. Finally, with Government Regulation No. 7/1961, the Diponegoro State University (Undip) was established with faculties from the (private) Diponegoro University. The Faculty of Law, which is the oldest faculty in the university, is designated as the ‘Faculty of Law and Public Knowledge’. This merger was carried out because the Ministry of Education, Teaching, and Culture at that time prohibited the establishment of a separate State Administration Academy. Thus, the Faculty of Law and Public Knowledge consists of two parts, namely: the Legal Section and the Socio-Political Section. In its later development, based on the Decree of the Director-General of Higher Education No. 116 of 1968 On December 2, 1968, starting from January 1, 1969, the Social and Political Division was designated as the Faculty of Social and Political Affairs. Since that date, the name of the Faculty of Law and Public Knowledge was changed to the name ‘Faculty of Law’.

In its later development, to meet the demands of the community who wanted further education for law graduates in the city of Semarang, in 1980/1981 the Postgraduate Education Program (S-2) in Law was held. Based on the Letter of the Director-General of Higher Education to the University of Indonesia Number 325/D/T82, dated April 21, 1982, the implementation of this Strata 2 (S-2) education was held through Credit Collection Activities (KPK) linked to the University of Indonesia Postgraduate Education Program. Furthermore, based on the Decree of the Director-General of Higher Education No. 155/DIKTI/Kep/1993, Education Program.

The postgraduate became independent as a Masters Program (S-2) in Law at Diponegoro University. As an effort to provide wider services to the community, the Master of Law Program has established institutional cooperation with the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic of Indonesia (Agreement Letter No. B.450/C15/1998 and No.01/PT09/PMIH/KS/1998 ) which specifically opened the Special Prosecutor’s Degree Program. As well as cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights (Cooperation Agreement Letter No. M 398.KP.11 of 1999) which opened the Special Masters Program for the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.

In addition to the Master of Law Program, the Faculty of Law, Diponegoro University, Semarang has also opened a Masters Program in Notary Law. This program is an increase in the previous education level, namely Specialist Education (Sp I) which has been held since 1981 (based on the Decree of the Dean of the Faculty of Law Undip No.21/PT09.1/1981 regarding the Implementation of the Notary Education Program in the Civil and Notary Section of the Faculty of Law Undip on 22 June 1981, and the Decree of the Director-General of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia Number 12/Dikti/Kep/1984 concerning the Establishment of the Notary Study Program (Sp.1) at the Faculty of Law, Diponegoro University, Semarang dated March 20, 1984). Furthermore, based on the Decree of the Director-General of Higher Education Number 81/Dikti/Kep/2000 dated April 7, 2000, concerning the Change of Status of the Notary Specialist Education Program (Sp.1) to the Notary Masters Program, since the 2000/2001 academic year it has changed to the Notary Masters Program ( S-2) Diponegoro University.

The next development, in order to provide further education for Strata 2 graduates (both from the Master Program in Legal Studies and the Master Program in Notary), then the Doctoral Education Program (Strata 3) Law Sciences was opened (established based on the Decree of the Director-General of Higher Education, Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia Number 207/DIKTI/ Kep/1995 dated July 15, 1995, concerning the Establishment of a Doctoral Program in Law at Diponegoro University). This program is held with the hope of producing graduates who are broad-minded with critical reasoning power and intellectual character that is sensitive to humanitarian issues.

In 2012 the management of the Master of Law Program, Master of Notary Program, and Doctoral Program in Law is now under the Faculty of Law, University of Diponegoro which was previously under the Postgraduate Program. On the other hand, as an effort to accommodate the interest of people who want to continue their studies at the Undip Faculty of Law – while the capacity that can be accepted through SPMB is very limited, then in 1994/1995 the Undip Faculty of Law began to open Non-Regular Programs with lecture times in the afternoon Priority is given to graduates of the D III Program/other relevant study programs (Undip Chancellor Decree No.109/SK/PT09/1994 concerning New Student Admissions for the Non-Regular Undergraduate Program in the Undip Faculty of Law). In its development, in the 1997/1998 academic year, the Non-Regular Program at the Faculty of Law, Diponegoro University accepted prospective students with the requirements of high school graduates who were not allowed to take the SPMB on the basis of their graduation year. Since the 2000/2001 academic year, the Non-Regular Undergraduate Program has begun to accept new students who have graduated from the latest high school and previous graduates.