THE boss of the new York Law School has been appointed - with the first undergraduates just over a year away.

Professor Stuart Bell, an authority on environmental law, is to be the school's founding head when its doors open later this year.

The new law school will take its first postgraduate students this October, while undergraduate degree courses are due to begin in October next year.

It is the second new department to be established at the University of York in the last year - the other was the Department Of Film, Theatre And Television.

University chiefs say both are significant elements in the university's plans for substantial academic growth in the coming decade.

Prof Bell, currently Professor of Environmental Law at Nottingham Law School, based at Nottingham Trent University, has combined an academic career in research with practice as an environmental lawyer, both at the Bar and for firms of solicitors.

Prof Brian Cantor, the vice-chancellor of the University of York, said: "We are fortunate to have attracted someone of Stuart's calibre. He brings to the university an exceptional record both in terms of academic and professional experience which will be invaluable in helping us realise our ambitious plans.

"I am confident that he will be an outstanding head of the new school."

Prof Bell said: "The unique opportunity to join a world-class university and to create a Law School which combines research of international quality with an active desire to engage with the legal profession was too good to miss.

"My priorities are to build upon the existing strong foundations for legal research provided within cognate departments throughout the university and to develop innovative and distinctive undergraduate, postgraduate and professional programmes which combine the teaching of applied skills alongside an understanding of the social and theoretical contexts for law."

Prof Bell will take up his post on June 1.

The postgraduate programme in international human rights law will launch in October 2007, and will be taught initially within the Department of Politics.