Towards high reliability in law: a framework for error management and organisational learning

This article proposes the first theoretically grounded framework for integrating High Reliability Organisation (HRO) principles into legal practice. Drawing on safety science, organisational learning theory, and HRO research, it examines error management from an organisational perspective and argues that mistakes and near misses should be viewed as opportunities for organisational learning and improvement. The article develops a taxonomy of mistakes and near misses in legal practice and examines how organisational learning operates within the legal professions of the United Kingdom and Queensland. Building on this foundation, it translates the five core HRO principles into a practical framework consisting of 10 organisational practices that can be implemented within law firms. The framework is designed to strengthen error management, enhance psychological safety, promote organisational learning, and improve professional reliability. The article also considers the challenges and benefits of implementation and outlines a future research agenda involving the development and pilot testing of a legal-sector HRO survey instrument, followed by a larger empirical study involving legal practitioners and law firms in the UK and Queensland. It is argued that an HRO approach provides a roadmap for creating more reliable, resilient, and learning-oriented law firms.