Abstract: The subject of this research is the life path and scientific legacy of Erich Wulffen (1862-1936) – a prominent representative of the German legal psychology of the late XIX – early XX century. Unfortunately, his works are insufficiently studied in Russia. Therefore, the goal of this study consists in filling the information gaps on the evolution of legal psychology in Germany; analysis of the history of this field of scientific knowledge through the prism of personal biography and scientific contribution of the outstanding German scholar, whose works had a significant impact upon the development of Western European legal psychology. The following methods were applied: historical-functional, comparative-historical, systematization of psychological ideas of E. Wulffen, retrospective reconstruction of the evolution of his scientific ideas, and biographical that allowed determining his contribution to the formation of legal psychology as science. The author comprehensively examines the scientific legacy of Erich Wulffen – a scholar who made a significant contribution to the establishment and development of legal psychology in Germany. The new data is introduced into the scientific discourse allowing to analyze the logics and dynamics of evolution of psychological views, as well as determine the most important ideas of E. Wulffen that retain their relevance at present.