Introduction to Law   Tags: law school, legal research  

I.     Preparing for Law School

II.    Briefing & Outlining

III.   Exam-Taking

IV.   Memory/Reasoning

V.    Interpreting Statutes & Codes

VI.   Internet Sources

Introduction to Law is an initial course offered by Cooley designed to acclimate new students to the lifestyle and expectations of a law student and eventually a lawyer. To that end, the course focuses on two primary avenues of instruction: material geared towards familiarizing students with their core substantive first-year courses, and material geared towards developing practical skills in areas like outlining, briefing, and test-taking

Since research guides for substantive subjects already exist, it would be redundant for this guide to dwell on those materials; the inquiring student may find all the information on such subjects he or she may need in said guides. Therefore, this guide will focus on materials to support the general, practical elements of Intro to Law, such as outlining and briefing. 

The guide is organized according to the topics listed to the left, in the guide outline.

In the sections of the guide focusing on print materials, the "location" provides the call number for a work. Clicking on the title takes a user to the relevant entry in the catalog. Materials held at the Lansing library will be identified with an “L”, those at Auburn Hills will have an “AH”, and those at Grand Rapids will have a “GR”, but remember that students may order materials from other campuses through the library catalog website. Where possible, guide sections about statutes link to the appropriate law. 

Please contact us if you have any questions or need any further guidance. Being asked for reference help is no bother--it's why we're here.

Michael Bird is a reference librarian at the Auburn Hills campus. 

Last updated 2/2/09.