ABSTRACT
This entry introduces the legal system of the United States by describing the branches of government that create the laws of a civilized society. These sources of law are interrelated and must be understood in order to find answers to legal questions. The law has characteristics that impact the work of the researcher including the division of law into primary and secondary authority, the doctrine of precedent, the need for stability and change in our laws, and the multiplicity of sources of the law. The types of legal materials are then described with examples followed by a section on legal publishing and the formats of legal information. Finally, the entry concludes with a description of various types of users of legal information.
