ABSTRACT
This chapter is intended to provide the reader with a basic understanding of the American legal system, as well as a rudimentary foundation for conducting legal research. If you have a solid grasp of these fundamentals, you will be in a position to converse intelligently with legal counsel should it become necessary, and you will be capable of exploring the legal ramifications of an issue that presents itself. Nevertheless, when you are faced with a legal problem, it is prudent to rely on an attorney’s advice and use your own more limited research abilities only to develop an informative base upon which to interact with your lawyer.
