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Legal Research Methods chilot.wordpress.com Legal Research Methods Teaching Material Prepared by: Prof (Dr) Khushal Vibhute & Filipos Aynalem Prepared under the Sponsorship of the Justice and Legal System Research Institute 2009 chilot.wordpress.com TABLE OF CONTENTS UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION-------------------------------------------------------------------1 1.1 Introduction--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2 1.2 Law and Society: Mutual Relationship & Interaction-----------------------------------------------------3 1.3 Legal System: A System of Norms and Social System?---------------------------------------------------4 1.4 Role of Law in A Planned Socio-Economic Development------------------------------------------------6 UNIT 2: LEGAL RESEARCH: AN INTRODUCTION----------------------------------8 2.1 What is research?-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------10 2.1.1 Meaning of research---------------------------------------------------------------------------------10 2.1.2 Objectives of research-------------------------------------------------------------------------------12 2.1.3 Motivation in research------------------------------------------------------------------------------13 2.1.4 Research and scientific method-------------------------------------------------------------------14 2.2 Types of research------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------15 2.2.1 Descriptive vs. Analytical Research --------------------------------------------------------------16 2.2.2 Applied vs. Fundamental Research --------------------------------------------------------------16 2.2.3 Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research -----------------------------------------------------------17 2.2.4 Conceptual vs. Empirical Research---------------------------------------------------------------18 2.3 Research Methods and Research Methodology---------------------------------------------------------18 2.4 What is legal research?----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------22 2.5 Scope and relevance of legal research---------------------------------------------------------------------22 2.5.1 Nature and Scope of Legal Research-------------------------------------------------------------22 2.5.2 Scope of Legal Research in the Common Law System and the Civil Law System------27 2.6 Importance (Purpose) of legal research-------------------------------------------------------------------30 2.6.1 Ascertainment of law--------------------------------------------------------------------------------30 2.6.2 Highlighting inbuilt ‘gaps’ and ‘ambiguities’---------------------------------------------------31 2.6.3 Determining consistency, coherence and stability of law----------------------------------31 2.6.4 Social auditing of law--------------------------------------------------------------------------------32 2.6.5 Suggesting reforms in law--------------------------------------------------------------------------32 2.7 Legal research by whom?-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------34 i chilot.wordpress.com 2.7.1 By a Legislator -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------34 2.7.2 By a Judge----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------36 2.7.3 By a Lawyer---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------37 2.7.4 By a Law Teacher and Student of Law-----------------------------------------------------------40 2.8 Legal research and methodology----------------------------------------------------------------------------44 2.9 Sources of information-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------46 2.9.1 Primary sources --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------46 2.9.2 Secondary sources------------------------------------------------------------------------------------47 2.9.3 Tertiary sources--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------50 2.10 Major stages in legal research -------------------------------------------------------------------------51 2.10.1 Identification and formulation of a research problem-----------------------------------52 2.10.2 Review of literature ------------------------------------------------------------------------------54 2.10.3 Formulation of a hypothesis -------------------------------------------------------------------56 2.10.4 Research design-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------57 2.10.5 Collection of data---------------------------------------------------------------------------------58 2.10.6 Analysis of data------------------------------------------------------------------------------------59 2.10.7 Interpretation of data----------------------------------------------------------------------------59 2.11 Legal Research in Ethiopia: Perspectives and Problems----------------------------------------------61 UNIT 3: DOCTRAINAL AND NON-DOCTRINAL LEGAL RESEARCH---------------------68 3.1. Introduction------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------69 3.2. Doctrinal Legal Research--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------71 3.2.1 Introduction-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------71 3.2.2 Aims and Basic Tools of Doctrinal Legal Research-----------------------------------------------73 3.2.2.1 Aims -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------73 3.2.2.2 Basic tools------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------74 ii chilot.wordpress.com 3.2.3 Advantages and Limitations of Doctrinal Legal Research--------------------------------------80 3.2.3.1 Advantages ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------80 3.2.3.2 Limitations-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------83 3.3. Non-Doctrinal Legal Research Or Socio-Legal Research ----------------------------------------------85 3.3.1 Introduction-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------85 3.3.2 Aims and Basic Tools of Non-Doctrinal Legal Research-----------------------------------------87 3.3.2.1 Aims -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------87 3.3.2.2 Basic tools------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------89 3.3.3 Advantages and Limitations of Non-Doctrinal Legal Research--------------------------------93 3.3.3.1 Advantages----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------93 3.3.3.2 Limitations-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------94 3.4. Inter-relation between Doctrinal and Non-doctrinal Legal Research------------------------------97 UNIT 4: MODELS OF LEGAL RESEARCH AND CURRENT TRENDS IN LEGAL RESEARCH------------------------------------------------101 4.1 Models of legal research------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------102 4.1.1 Evolutive and evaluative--------------------------------------------------------------------------------102 4.1.2 Identificatory and impact studies--------------------------------------------------------------------103 4.1.3 Projective and predictive-------------------------------------------------------------------------------105 4.1.4 Collative-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------105 4.1.5 Historical----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------106 4.1.6 Comparative-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------107 4.2 Current trends in legal research --------------------------------------------------------------------------------108 4.2.1 Mono-disciplinary legal research---------------------------------------------------------------------108 4.2.2 Trans-disciplinary legal research----------------------------------------------------------------------109 iii chilot.wordpress.com 4.2.3 Inter-disciplinary legal research-----------------------------------------------------------------------111 UNIT 5: HYPOTHESIS---------------------------------------------------------------------115 5.1 INTRODUCTION----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------116 5.2 SOURCES OF HYPOTHESIS-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------119 5.2.1 Hunch or intuition--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------119 5.2.2 Findings of others’ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------119 5.2.3 A theory or a body of theory------------------------------------------------------------------------120 5.2.4 General social culture---------------------------------------------------------------------------------120 5.2.5 Analogy---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------120
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