Prof. N.R. Madhava Menon is founder of the National Law School of India, Bangalore, where he initiated a new model of legal education—the five year integrated LL.B. programme. He has also been founder–vice chancellor of National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata. Prof. Menon is former director, National Judicial Academy, Bhopal.
He was appointed by the Government of India as a member of the Commission on Centre–State Relations. He also headed the committee constituted to draft the National Policy on Criminal Justice and was a member of the Law Commission of India. He has authored several books on legal education, legal profession, legal aid, judicial training and administration of justice, including a book Rule of Law in a Free Society, a Nehru Centre publication that he has edited.
He was awarded the Padma Shri for outstanding public service in 2003.