One part of the ICLE Partnership that might be flying under your radar is the Michigan-only primary law resource known as Michigan Law Online (MLO). You’ve likely encountered it while using your other ICLE resources—like when you click on a case link in a book chapter you’re reading—but you may not know about some of MLO’s most valuable features.
Michigan Caselaw
MLO includes a searchable database of Michigan Supreme Court (MSC) opinions from 1942 on, MSC orders from 1966 on, and published Michigan Court of Appeals (COA) opinions from 1965 on. Unpublished COA opinions from 1996 forward are also searchable. Once you’re looking at a specific opinion, a number of features are available. The “Cite” button on the right side of the page generates the Bluebook citation for the opinion, and clicking on a hyperlinked page number anywhere in the opinion generates a Bluebook citation including that particular page number. The “Track This Site” button allows you to see any subsequent history and a list of published Michigan opinions that cite that opinion.
Michigan Rules
MLO’s rule search includes the Michigan Court Rules (MCRs), the Michigan Rules of Evidence (MREs), and the Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct (MRPCs). The collection includes all MCRs and MREs and amending orders from 1995 on.
Continual Updating
Like other online resources in the Partnership, MLO is continually updated. This means new cases, court rules and amendments, and legislative summaries are added as they come out.
Case and Public Act Summaries
In addition to the search options, one of the most useful features of MLO is the ICLE-drafted case summaries and Public Act (PA) summaries. ICLE lawyers create summaries of every MSC opinion and published COA opinion, as well as summaries of every Michigan PA. These are searchable for the last 12 months according to practice area, and they are also included in the Weekly Law and Practice Update newsletter sent to ICLE Partners.
Helpful Links
Finally, the links included on the right side of the MLO main page are a treasure trove of other primary law and supporting resources not maintained by ICLE. MLO includes links to Michigan rules, statutes, and opinions (such as the Michigan Compiled Laws on the Michigan Legislature website, the Michigan Administrative Code, and Michigan Attorney General opinions). It also lists links to various Michigan agency and court websites and various federal resources.
If you have any questions about MLO or other Partnership resources, feel free to email me at rebekahp@icle.org.