Introduction to Qualitative Methods for Legal Scholars

This summer, ZIBR co-hosted the workshop "Introduction to Qualitative Methods in Socio-Legal Research" at the University of Lucerne, together with the Faculty of Law and the Graduate Academy. The workshop was organised by Prof. Dr. Max Baumgart.

The speakers were Dr. Siddharth de Souza, Assistant Professor in AI and Society at the University of Warwick, and Dr. Lisa Hahn, Research Fellow at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center. In his opening remarks, Prof. Dr. Max Baumgart raised the question of whether artificial intelligence might one day take over doctrinal legal research, and whether legal scholarship will therefore need to integrate social science methods to a greater extent. This question lies at the heart of ZIBR's work: understanding how emerging technologies such as blockchain and AI change law requires looking beyond legal texts to how rules are actually applied and experienced in practice.

The workshop was aimed at legal scholars at all career stages, from doctoral students and postdocs to professors. The morning explored what defines socio-legal research and its methodological potential and challenges. Alongside input sessions, creative formats such as LEGO-based exercises and a "sensory walk" encouraged participants to discover how law becomes visible in everyday spaces.

The afternoon focused on selecting and applying qualitative methods, in particular interview techniques and participant observation. Participants practised questioning techniques and discussed the reliability of participant observation, given its dependence on the observer's subjective perception. The workshop concluded with an introduction to data analysis using thematic, narrative and discourse-oriented approaches.

By bringing together law and the social sciences, the workshop strengthened empirical legal research at the University of Lucerne. ZIBR actively supports this approach as part of its interdisciplinary research on the legal, political and societal dimensions of new technologies.