MAPPING LEGAL RESEARCH

• Published in: Cambridge law journal Vol. 71; no. 3; pp. 651 - 676
• Main Authors: Siems, Mathias M., Mac Síthigh, Daithí
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01-11-2012
• Subjects: Academic discipline; Attorneys; College admission; Comparative analysis; Germany; Judicial power; Law; Law schools; Lawyer client communication; Legal education; Legal research; Legal theory; Mapping; Research methods; Research universities; Social sciences; U.S.A; United Kingdom; Universities; GREAT BRITAIN; United Kingdom > UK; United Kingdom; Legal Scholarship; Legal Research; Universities
• ISSN: 0008-1973; 1469-2139
• DOI: 10.1017/S0008197312000852

This article aims to map the position of academic legal research, using a distinction between “law as a practical discipline”, “law as humanities” and “law as social sciences” as a conceptual framework. Having explained this framework, we address both the “macro” and “micro” level of legal research in the UK. For this purpose, we have collected information on the position of all law schools within the structure of their respective universities. We also introduce “ternary plots” as a new way of explaining individual research preferences. Our general result is that all three categories play a role within the context of UK legal academia, though the relationship between the “macro” and the “micro” level is not always straight-forward. We also provide comparisons with the US and Germany and show that in all three countries law as an academic tradition has been constantly evolving, raising questions such as whether the UK could or should move further to a social science model already dominant in the US.