In Ehrlich’s Footsteps: Reflections on Method Inspired by a Visit to the Birthplace of Empirical Socio-Legal Research

Abstract

Eugen Ehrlich's pioneer sociology of law should be understood in relation to his time, but also to his particular geographical, political and cultural situation. And biographical information about him, though limited, is important. This paper is informed by reflections on a visit by the author to the location of Ehrlich's teaching and of his empirical social research. It argues that Ehrlich wanted the education of lawyers to be supplemented by their observation of local social regulation. It also suggests that his writings aimed to present a basic sociological model of law that could be treated as a guide for empirical social research.

Keywords: Eugen Ehrlich, sociology of law, Czernowitz, Austria-Hungary, legal scholarship