The National Law School of India University at Bangalore was established by the Karnataka Government on August 29, 1987 through a Gazette Notification, under the National Law School of India Act (Karnataka Act 22 of 1986). The concept of a national institution to act as a pace-setter and a testing ground for bold experiments in legal education came up before the Bar Council of India in the context of the Council's statutory responsibility for maintaining standards in professional legal education under the Advocates Act, 1961. The University is the result of the co-operation of the Karnataka Government, the Bangalore University and the initiatives of senior members of the Bar Council of India as well as that of Karnataka State Bar Council.