The Center for the Study of Law and Society, founded in 1961, fosters empirical research and theoretical analysis concerning legal institutions, legal processes, legal change, and the social consequences of law. While closely linked to Berkeley's School of Law, the Center creates a multidisciplinary milieu in which UC Berkeley faculty and graduate students from many departments on the campus interact, along with visiting socio-legal scholars from other universities in the United States and from abroad. The Center provides an environment for interdisciplinary research in the social sciences, humanities and law. The Center's associated faculty and visitors are drawn from many disciplines, including political science, sociology, economics, psychology, law, philosophy, and history.
The Center for the Study of Law and Society encourages and supports empirical research and theoretical analysis concerning legal institutions and processes, the impact of law on society, and social, political, and intellectual influences on law and legal activity. The Center provides a truly interdisciplinary intellectual setting in which faculty, visiting scholars, and students interested in socio-legal studies can conveniently and regularly meet, present research papers, exchange ideas, and formulate new concepts and research agendas.
