About
The Handbook of Legal Terms (PDF) is produced by the Michigan Judicial Institute to meet the needs of those employees of the court system who are not legally trained, yet work with the law and court procedures. It is also useful to those who are not attorneys but must interact with the court system. Since this Handbook is designed for non-legal personnel, the definitions are written in plain English rather than in complicated legal terms.
It is the product of hundreds of interviews and the analysis of survey questionnaires completed by many court employees in 1976, and has been periodically updated with the assistance of judges, State Court Administrator's (SCAO) staff and other court officials. It has been prepared at the request of judges, court administrators and other court supervisory personnel.
Glossary
For a condensed version of a glossary of terms prepared by Friend of the Court, view their Glossary Page.