School of legal thought and action that advances the use of law for social transformation. Originated in continental Europe and Latin America in the 1970s, it established itself as one of the leading theoretical and practical loci of criticism of legal positivism in those regions. Given its focus on the links among law, politics, and social context, it has spurred a wide range of scholarly studies and public debates inspired by a sociolegal approach.

(Entry prepared for the Encyclopedia of Law and Society: American and Global
Perspectives, edited by David Clark. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 2006)