Today's legal profession demands that lawyers understand and engage in
dialogue about basic empirical research techniques. Empirical Methods in Law
teaches law students to recognize when empirical research needs to be applied
in legal practice. It provides the vocabulary with which to communicate with
scientific experts, and an awareness of the type of questions to ask about
empirical findings.
Hailing from diverse backgrounds, authors Lawless, Robbennolt, and Ulen
bring practical experience and insight to this accessible research methods
text that features:
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a consistent focus on basic principles and concepts, explained in an
intuitive style requiring no prerequisite knowledge of math or statistics
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clear explanations geared to students new to empirical techniques
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optional problem sets and footnotes that will challenge more
experienced students who are eager to explore specific topics in depth
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generous use of examples that show how empirical techniques are applied
in a range of substantive areas
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coverage of different stages of empirical research—from formulating
research questions and testable hypotheses, to data collection, sampling,
coding, statistical analysis, and presenting data
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discussion of the connections among the different stages of empirical research
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sidebars with in-depth views of particular topics that provide flexible
options for teaching
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learning-by-doing exercises at the end of each chapter
Combining expertise and an exceptionally student-friendly approach,
Empirical Methods in Law is suited for a stand-alone course on empirical
methods in law or as a supplement for a course or seminar that includes an
empirical component.
Introduction
Part I: Why Gather, Organize, and Evaluate Data: An Overview of Empirical
Methods
Introduction to Part I
Chapter 1. Thinking Empirically
Chapter 2. Research Design
Part II: How to Gather Data: Empirical Research Methodologies
Introduction to Part II
Chapter 3. Asking Questions: Surveys and Interviews
Chapter 4. Experiments
Chapter 5. Archival Methods
Chapter 6. Sampling
Chapter 7. Coding
Part III: How to Evaluate the Data: Statistical Techniques
Introduction to Part III
Chapter 8. Distributions and How to Describe Them
Chapter 9. Hypothesis Testing
Chapter 10. Inferential Statistics
Chapter 11. An Introduction to Correlation and Regression Analysis
Chapter 12. Advanced Regression Techniques
Part IV: Communicating Your Results
Chapter 13. Reading, Presenting, and Writing About Empirical Matters
Chapter 14. Conclusions
