It s important for citizens to know their rights and responsibilities. It s especially important for young people to gain knowledge about legal issues that they may face at some point in their young adult lives. I m glad that you are taking a step toward responsible citizenship by reading this booklet that lawyers on the State Bar of Michigan s Law-Related Education Committee have prepared for you. Each and every one of you represents the future of our world. I hope that you will find this booklet a handy resource in answering some of your law-related questions as you face this exciting, and sometimes challenging, phase of your lives.
Law is a set of rules designed to help people get along with each other.
We need them in order to live and work together in peace and safety. If we break a rule at home or at school, we are punished in some way. If there were no punishment, some of us might think that there's no good reason to follow the rules. The law works the same way, for the same reason. But there's one big difference between rules at home and the law.