AbstractBackgroundThis paper examines some of the major topics that legal psychology began to focus on at the end of the last century.AimThe purpose is to contend that such topics (the reliability of ear‐witness testimony, the conducting of identification parades/line ups, the interviewing of suspects, the interviewing of vulnerable witnesses/victims) are deserving of greater attention in this new century.ConclusionsLegal psychologists should be brave enough to research with methodological rigour complex, real‐world topics of importance to society and to advise relevant professional groups on how to improve their performance. Copyright © 2004 Whurr Publishers Ltd.