Introduction. Empirical research with judicial professionals and courts: Methods and practices

The articles in this special issue focus on the methodological and practical challenges of undertaking empirical research in judicial and/or court settings. They arose from a workshop at the International Institute for the Sociology of Law held on 23-24 June 2022 which discussed the empirical strategies to access and conduct research with judicial officers and the research methods and kinds of data used, including interviews, surveys, court observations, administrative data, documents, and photographs. The articles draw on the experiences of socio-legal researchers within the field, address the importance of linkages with the justice system and discuss a range of socio-legal insights, methodological approaches and methods from disciplines such as anthropology, law, political science, psychology and sociology.