The Faculty was originally a branch of Québec City's Université Laval in Montréal.

In 1945, it moved to Mount-Royal and was relocated in 1968 to its current location, which became the Pavillon Maximilien-Caron in 1978 in honour of a jurist.

It includes contributions from the research centres of the Faculty and letters from international jurists about their legal system.

The CRDP is renowned for its interdisciplinary approach and work on contemporary forms of law as well as for maximizing the involvement of students in its extensive research activities.

Among the CRDP's most important recent research projects, one deals with the various dimensions of the status of Aboriginal peoples in Canada, and another one examines questions pertaining to privacy and information security.

In addition to organizing cultural and professional development activities, they coordinate numerous other committees, as the well known Comité du droit des affaires et de gestion (CDAG) and the Comité Droit et Politique, therefore contributing to a dynamic student life.