The Legal Research Methods Initiative (formerly Critical Discussions in Methodology) aims to provide an organizing framework and community-based forum for how to think through the tasks and challenges involved in legal research.
High quality legal scholarship requires a more precise understanding of how scholarly methods and materials can be employed to answer research questions, and how their application drives specific knowledge outcomes. Recognizing the inherent plurality of approaches to legal scholarship, both methodological and perspectival, the Initiative aims to foster and exchange knowledge of research methods through regular peer-to-peer discussions between PhD and postdoc researchers as well as with leading legal scholars from around the world. By interacting with one another and sharing experiences about producing legal scholarship, researchers from various disciplines in the Max Planck Law network can enhance their research skills, contribute to building a community of good practices, and foster lasting collaborative relationships. In addition to the hosting of discussions and presentations, the Initiative’s longer-term ambitions include the publishing of reports and essays and the organizing of more structured in-person workshops. By reaching across and beyond institutional boundaries in the Max Planck Law network, the Legal Research Methods Initiative is committed to achieving a more profound and nuanced approach to legal methods, and optimizing the quality and effectiveness of its members’ research efforts and outputs.