Michigan courts follow laws, rules, and other authority in operating
their courts and processing cases. You will need to know some of this
information if you are responsible for your own case. The court cannot
represent either party in litigation.
Another resource is Michigan
Legal Aid, which provides help with legal problems to low income
residents of Michigan. On that site you will find information about
the law and about places to go for help with legal and related problems,
including help with various court forms.
The Michigan constitution, statutes, case law, and court rules provide
the framework for all court cases.
Law Libraries
Basic legal information of the type mentioned above should be available
in any law library. You may also check with your local public library
for legal resources. Many counties have a law library. Court rules and
laws are also available through the internet; see below for details.
A law library contains statutes, court rules, case law, and other authority
you may need to research in order to represent yourself. You may also
find self-help books and research guides in the law library. The law
librarian can help you find the books you are looking for, but cannot
provide you with legal advice.
See
the list of Michigan law libraries open to the public.
See
the list of public libraries in Michigan.
Michigan Compiled Laws
The Michigan Compiled Laws (MCL) are laws the Michigan Legislature enacts.
They are called statutes and provide the basis for many cases that are
filed with the court. Of general importance is Chapter
600, the Revised Judicature Act of 1961. This chapter contains information
relating to the organization and jurisdiction of the courts; the powers
and duties of the courts and the judges and other officers of the courts;
the forms and attributes of civil claims and actions; the time within
which civil actions and proceedings may be brought in the courts; and
pleading, evidence, practice and procedure in civil and criminal actions
and proceedings in the courts.
For
information about the Michigan Compiled Laws and how to research them,
see the Michigan Law Library website.
Michigan Court Rules
The Michigan Court Rules (MCR) are rules of court practice and procedure
the Michigan Supreme Court enacts. Many statutes also specify court
practice; if there is a statute and a court rule regulating a practice
for the same court process and they are in conflict, the court rule
should be followed. You must also follow any local court rules in your
jurisdiction.
See the
Michigan Court Rules.
Michigan Court Rules Practice is a set of publications containing case
law interpretation of the court rules. These volumes explain the basic
purpose and effect of the court rules and discuss any special problems
in interpreting the rules, the relationships with other rules, and other
useful information. This resource is not available online.
Other Legal Resources
There are many sources of legal information in addition to the Michigan
Compiled Laws and Michigan Court Rules. There are federal statutes
and case law, state and federal regulations, the U.S. Constitution,
the Michigan State Constitution, and local ordinances and charters.
Below are links to some of the more common resources.
U.S.
Constitution
U.S.
Code
U.S.
Code of Federal Regulations
Michigan
State Constitution
Michigan
Administrative Code
Attorney
General Opinions
Michigan
Supreme Court and Court of Appeals Opinions
Michigan
Appellate Digest
U.S. Government
Michigan Court Forms
There are many court forms available for use in Michigan. The most
common are the "SCAO-Approved" court forms. These forms are created
and maintained by the State Court Administrative Office and are standardized
for use in all Michigan's trial courts. Any statute or court rule authority
for a form is located in the lower right-hand corner of the form. All
SCAO-Approved court forms are available from this website and can be
filled in on-line using Adobe Acrobat Reader and then printed. See SCAO-Approved
Court Forms >>.
Most court actions require a specific form or document to be filed
with the court. If you are not sure which forms you need, this self-help
center may be able to assist you once you identify the type of court
action.
Court forms are only tools to assist in the processing of a court
case. The forms do not guide you through the court process. If you
do not have an attorney, you will need to understand the laws pertaining
to your type of case.
For details on processing your case, see the individual topics in the
drop-down list from TOPICS at the
top of this page. Not all of these topics will contain details about
how to process your case, especially if a particular type of case is
considered too complicated for handling through self-representation.
If details for processing your case are not available, you may want
to seek help from an attorney.
Court forms that are not "SCAO-Approved" are also available from local
trial courts or from publications such as Michigan Court Rules
Practice (available in the law library). Contact the court where
you are filing your case to find out if they require any local court
forms.
