In 1852, at the direction of Sir Henry Eldred Pottinger, the Governor of Madras during that period, a Government High School was expanded into the Presidency College, Chennai.

Mr. John Bruce Norton, was appointed as the first Professor of law in 1855, who delivered his lectures at the Presidency College, Chennai.

The Government concurred with Mr. Grigg that changes were necessary in the arrangements for Law Instruction and that an independent institution should be established.

The Proposal was sanctioned by the Secretary of State, on the advice of the Council of Legal Studies (Education) in London and the Law College was established as an independent institution under the control of the Director of Public instruction.

As a natural consequence of gaining a building of its own, the Law College was converted into a full time institution.

With a view to upgrading the standards of legal education, B.A.B.L., (Hons) course was initially introduced in the college from the academic year 2002–2003.

The Primary structure of the old campus, designed by English architect Henry Irwin, is a classic example of Indo-Saracenic Architectural style.

The college used to have a large sports ground adjacent to it in the early 1990s, which was eventually taken over for accommodating the High Court structures and turned into a car parking facility.

The decision to shift the campus was made after the discovery of core damages to the primary structure of the college building owing to the Metro Rail construction work around 2015.

Presently, the campus at Pudupakkam Village, Chengalpet taluk of Kancheepuram district, accommodates 1,205 students who study five-year law courses.

The campus at Pattaraiperumbudur Village, Thiruvallur District, accommodates 1,123 students who study three-year law courses.