The article presents a comprehensive historical and theoretical analysis of the formation and development of the scientific category "legal life" in Russian jurisprudence. The evolution of scientific ideas is traced, namely, from its predecessor – the concept of «legal life», through sociological and psychological interpretations, to a modern integrative understanding. It is proved that the category "legal life" has become a methodological response to the crisis of classical legal positivism, making it possible to include not only positive but also negative legal phenomena in the subject of legal science, as well as to synthesize the dogma of law, social practice and legal awareness. A number of similar categories in foreign legal doctrine are analyzed, on the basis of which the analytical potential of the Russian category "legal life" is indicated. It is concluded that in the context of digital transformation and the increasing complexity of legal reality, the heuristic potential of this category as the core of the postclassical theory of law will only increase.