The Department of Basic Law comprises four chairs and one assistant professorship, which are located at the Institutes of Roman Law, History of Law, Criminal Law and Criminology, and Public Law.

The basic subjects Roman Law, History of Modern Law, Constitutional History and State Theory, as well as Philosophy of Law, Legal Theory, Sociology of Law form an obligatory part of the Bachelor's programme at the Law Faculty of the University of Bern. The aim is to teach students the historical, philosophical and theoretical foundations of law.