Originally led by a single practitioner, the faculty's teaching responsibility later shifted to prominent figures like William Izard and George Weston.

The faculty grew over time, establishing multiple full-time chairs by 1970, and moved to the Ilam campus in 1974.

The faculty has several affiliated clubs, including the Law Students' Society (LAWSOC), founded in 1923.

Prominent faculty members have included John Burrows, Philip Joseph, Ursula Cheer, and Stephen Todd.

The faculty has produced widely used legal texts, and its alumni have made significant contributions to law and public service, including Supreme Court justices William Young and Andrew Tipping, and Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Feleti Teo.

The response to Foster's teaching methods in law was largely negative, with practitioners criticising the overly academic nature of his approach.

As a result, students chose to complete their courses mainly through private study, leading to the cessation of lectures in early 1880.

Despite these obstacles, Weston's students included “schoolmasters transitioning to new professions, law clerks, and individuals preparing for possible career changes.” Weston and his successors, all of whom were local practitioners, taught alone until 1912, when an assistant lecturer was appointed.

The building was officially opened by alumnus and then Court of Appeal Justice, Ivor Richardson.

[11] The Canterbury Gold Medal in Law is one of New Zealand's longest-standing academic prizes and is awarded annually to the best student graduating LL.B.

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