Kopot V. Essential principles of legal realism

The thesis is dedicated to the law interpretation analysis, description of legal realism as a trend in legal philosophy, investigation of positive and negative features of American and Scandinavian schools of legal realism. The thesis describes a concept of legal realism and its urgency under conditions of modern Ukrainian legal system development; arranges theories of legal realists and present renewed concept of legal realism; it reflects the results of a survey conducted among judges in order to distinguish a level of law interpretation and significance of law for society, as well as characteristics of expedience and rationality of legal realism concept.