Citation

Beck CJA, Holtzworth‐Munroe A, D'Onofrio BM, Fee HWC, Hill FG. Fam. Court Rev. 2009; 47(3): 451-467.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1744-1617.2009.01267.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Recent discussions between social science researchers, advocates, judges, lawyers, and family court personnel highlight the strong commitment of professionals across disciplines to work together to assess critically important issues in family law. The difficulty has been bridging the gap between the professions to create true understanding and collaboration and to develop empirical research that can advance the field of family law. To help further collaboration, this article first summarizes a series of discussions between researchers and judges concerning the similarities and differences between the law and social sciences in (1) the methods through which the disciplines pursue truth, (2) the standards used to evaluate evidence, and (3) the methods to pursue justice. With a clearer understanding of the philosophical similarities and differences between the disciplines, the manuscript then reviews the concerns and roadblocks that currently limit social science research in family courts, while identifying possible solutions.