"The primary audience for this book is first-year law students, though it will also benefit practitioners, paralegals, college students, and anyone seeking to understand Michigan legal authorities. Designed as a concise and accessible text, the book introduces the sources of Michigan law, as well as federal law, with an emphasis on free legal resources. It provides a process for conducting efficient and effective research using these sources, explains how to evaluate the authoritative weight of various sources, and includes brief discussions of legal analysis to show how research and writing intersect. Charts and other visual aids help readers understand key concepts, and a method for systematically keeping track of the research process is provided. The fifth edition includes an important new discussion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in legal research. AI for legal research, although rapidly evolving, is still in its infancy and, while useful, currently has pitfalls. The AI discussion will address these pitfalls and how AI, as a legal research tool, can be used in conjunction with more traditional legal research tools. Given the rapid pace of AI development, the discussion focuses on general principles and freely available AI tools rather than any specific product.

Additional updates include revisions to the "Added Advice," which includes information that students have found helpful, along with updates to the Comprehension Questions, which are also available for self-testing through Brainscape. These features encourage readers to actively engage with the material to improve understanding, retention, and recall"-- Provided by publisher.