Pedagogical Concepts of Legal Education: History and Modernity

The article presents a historical and pedagogical analysis of legal education concepts, tracing their development from ancient philosophical foundations to contemporary domestic and foreign approaches. The author systematises the evolution of legal education theories, distinguishing three key periods: pre-revolutionary (prior to 1917), Soviet (1917–1991), and post-Soviet (from 1991 onwards), characterising each period by its dominant pedagogical paradigms. The works of prominent educators and legal scholars are examined, and the methodological foundations for the formation of legal consciousness and legal culture of the individual are analysed. Special attention is paid to the contemporary normative framework of legal education, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and the Federal Law "On Education in the Russian Federation" (2012), as well as current challenges in implementing the legal education function of schooling within a rule-of-law state.