There have been strong proponents and opponents in academic debates about the use of social science in legal practice. However, in such academic discussions, little attention has been paid to what legal practitioners think about social science and its use in law. The present study shows that legal practitioners have complex views about social science. Drawing on in-depth interviews, it shows that there are five ideal-types of ‘social science consciousness’: enthusiast, pragmatist, indifferent, critical optimist and opponent. The paper shows what the implications are for law and social science, as well as a new research agenda on social science consciousness.

This study, authored by Dr Fahimeh Abedi, Prof. Tim Miller and Prof. Atif Ahmad, explores the skills gaps lawyers face when advising on emerging technologies in an increasingly complex digital landscape. Using an exploratory sequential mixed methods approach, the authors conducted qualitative interviews with 26 in-house lawyers and a broader quantitative survey revealed key challenges, including complex legislation, unclear regulatory frameworks and ethical concerns in data use. Findings highlight a significant gap in technological literacy within the legal profession, emphasising the need for improved knowledge, skills and ethical awareness. This research provides a roadmap for equipping legal professionals for responsible leadership in a technology-driven future, offering significant insights for policymakers and regulators.

This article is written by Clare Cowling, Director, Legal Records at Risk Project, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London. Her article explores the hypothesis that modern private sector legal records are more at risk of loss than their historical equivalents. There are many reasons for this, but one factor, detailed in this article, appears to be the indifference or reluctance of legal practitioners themselves. The LRAR project seeks to allay any concerns practitioners may have about confidentiality and to raise their awareness of the potential commercial and historic value of their legal records. It will do this by a combination of case studies, interviews with stakeholders and investigations into the current information management and archiving practices of institutions specialised to law. In so doing it will provide guidance and advice on the more cost-effective management and preservation of legal records so that the history of change to non-governmental legal services in the UK over the past century will be accurately documented.