Member Details

Name Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law (JSW Law)
Address Pangbisa, Paro, Bhutan, BHUTAN
Join Date 15/08/2025
Website https://jswlaw.bt/
JSW Law is Bhutan's only law school established through the Royal Charter on 21st February 2015 by His Majesty the King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, as a gift to the people of Bhutan. In justice, service and wisdom, JSW Law strives to set the standards and lead the way in education, research, and good practices in the field of law and related fields. The law school opened its door to the historic first class of students (Class of 2022) on 3rd July 2017. The Law School offers S-year LL. BPGDNL programme, Post Graduate Diploma in National Law (PGDNL) programme. The Law School will start LLM/MLS in Climate Change and Environmental Law Programme from August 2025.Law School also provides Summer School for regional and international students on comparative laws in partnership with National University Singapore and National Law School of India University, India and Summer School on Special Graduate Program on Climate Change, the Environment, and Sustainability in partnership with Lewis & Clarks Law School, United States of America.

The core values of JSW Law "Justice, Service, Wisdom" are founded on the qualities of His Majesty the Great Fourth-mirroring the initial "JSW" of His Majesty the King "Jigme Singye Wangchuck." His Majesty the Fourth King is not only the author of Bhutan's unique development, "Gross National Happiness", but He is also the father of Bhutan's Constitution and Democracy. Thus, we take the name of our school from our Great Fourth. It is His leadership, His excellence, and unshakable reputation that inspired us to name the school "Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law." As our Nation's Conscience, it is in His name, we are pledged to uphold our sacred Constitution and aspire to achieve the goals of Gross National Happiness.

Research

As the only academic legal institution, the research is an important component of JSW Law. The Royal Charter acknowledges the "utility of legal research and scholarship for the dissemination of knowledge, the critical and comparative evaluation of law and the legal order, and the advancement of learning" Thus, one of the objectives of the law school is to facilitate research in law and related fields. In pursuant to the Royal Charter, the Research Center is established to lead and coordinate JSW Law's research initiatives.

The Research Center is established to lead and coordinate JSW Law's research programs, scholarships, and activities. The Center organizes varying activities and programs to promote research and scholarship among the faculty members. Such activities include providing research related training to faculty members, conducting research forums and seminars such as faculty forum, judges and lawyer's forum, interdisciplinary forum, students' forum, distinguished scholar forum, lecture series, research festival. Another major function of the Center is to oversee the JSW Law Publishing Series. The JSW Law Publishing Series is the publishing house of JSW Law, and is responsible for publication of law review journals, books, and other academic publications. The Center also organizes national, regional, and international research conferences. These conferences are initiated by the respective faculty. The Center already organized the first and second biennial conference on GNH and Law, the first National Conference on Public Contracts. As the department responsible for leading JSW Law's research programs and activities, the Research Center will continue to grow and develop and implement of JSW Law's innovative research programs guided by the four pillars research initiatives.