Legal studies in Modena have one of the oldest traditions in Europe, as they began with the magisterium of the glossator Pillio da Medicina in 1175. After its decline in the early 14th century, the Athenaeum resumed operation in 1682 and the Faculty of Law gradually regained its prestige: Ludovico Antonio Muratori graduated from the University in 1694; Bartolomeo Valdrighi, professor of public law and dean of the faculty, drafted the Estense Code in 1771 and reformed the University's operation in 1772; in 1776 Giuseppe Luosi, later Minister of Justice in the Kingdom of Italy, graduated from the University. He was responsible for the translation into Italian and promulgation of the Napoleonic Civil Code in 1806. With national unification, the University of Modena had to react to various attempts by governments to downgrade it as a 'minor' compared to the larger universities (with the reforms of the ministers Ferdinando Martini, in 1893, and Giovanni Gentile, in 1923). Despite this, legal studies in Modena always enjoyed an excellent reputation. In 1923, Sandro Pertini, the great Resistant and future President of the Republic, graduated there. Among the most illustrious professors of the Republican era was Giuseppe Dossetti, professor of ecclesiastical law, also a great Resistant and one of the authors of the 1948 Constitution.

The creation of the Department of Law is due to the recent reform of the university, and aims to include the study of law in the new landscape of higher education, responding to the needs of an increasingly open and internationalised society.

To this end, the Department promotes and manages the teaching activities relating to a three-year professional degree course and a five-year master's degree course preparatory to accessing the classical legal professions: lawyer, notary and magistrate, as well as a two-year interdepartmental Master's Degree Course (involving the Departments of Law, 'Marco Biagi' Economics and Communication and Economics) for an interdisciplinary preparation with a high professional profile, to which first-level graduates may enrol for the continuation of their studies.

The Department is located in Via San Geminiano No. 3, right in the historical centre of Modena. The premises have been equipped with the most modern equipment.

The Library specializes in legal disciplines, a reference point for students and faculty of the Law Department, but open to anyone who needs to consult the collections; it also has a rich collection of ancient books.

The Department of Law devotes special attention to international relations and guarantees its students the opportunity to gain experience in the world of work through numerous agreements entered into with public bodies, private companies and professional associations for the conduct of internships.

The department also focuses on postgraduate education with the PhD School in Legal Sciences and the Postgraduate Course in Agribusiness Law