Multidisciplinary Marty Friedland, miscarriages of justice, and the modern law school

This article examines the contributions of ML Friedland to scholarship and the modern law school. It argues that his research throughout his long, distinguished, and continuing career has been focused on injustice more than on what is required for justice. It is argued that such an injustice-focused approach is still an important research agenda for academic lawyers. Friedland’s focus on injustice is traced through his work on bail and his true crime trilogy. His work on bail demonstrates the connections between fundamental empirical research and evidence-based law reform. Friedland’s focus was on miscarriages of justice broadly conceived to include both inequalities and the importance of proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. It was not limited to those who can be proven to be factually innocent. The second main point of this article is that Friedland was committed to a broad and pluralistic approach to multidisciplinary that included, but was not limited to, the social sciences and humanities. It differed from the approach taken in the influential 1983 Arthurs report by including the entire university and other professions. Friedland recognized that the practice of law was deeply multidisciplinary, including the important role played by expert witnesses. It is argued that Friedland’s distinct approach to multidisciplinarity could form a basis for more respectful, humble, and intellectually rewarding relationships between law schools, the entire university, and the legal profession.