THE CONCEPT OF "DIGITAL LEGAL CULTURE": METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES AND THE FORMATION OF A NEW PARADIGM

This article conceptualizes digital legal culture by clarifying its methodological foundations, core components, and measurable
indicators, while explaining how it emerges as a “new paradigm” under conditions of pervasive digitalization. The study aims to
develop an integrative model linking legal consciousness, legal behavior, and institutional practices in digitally mediated
environments. Methodologically, the research draws on sociology of law, the normative-system approach, digital governance
scholarship, legal communication theory, and analytical tools relevant to platform-mediated interactions. The main novelty lies in
moving beyond narrow interpretations that equate digital legal culture with e-government usage skills, and instead defining it as a
complex socio-legal phenomenon shaped by algorithmic regulation, data ethics, and online dispute resolution practices. The
findings outline a structured framework for assessment and policy design, emphasizing trust, rights compliance, and the quality of
legal implementation within digital interactions, as well as criteria that can guide institutional reforms and educational
interventions