New Books from UNC Law Faculty

The UNC Law Library is excited to announce that we have three new books from our faculty, all of which are available at the library!

Aaron Kirschenfeld

Aaron Kirschenfeld and his coauthor, Kent Olson, released their new book, Principles of Legal Research, Fourth Edition in June 2025. This hornbook guides students and other legal researchers through the research process, beginning with a primer of different sources of legal information and methods on how to search those sources.

Kirschenfeld and Olson believe that it’s generally best to start a research project with a secondary source, and they provide guidance on how to choose and use encyclopedias, restatements, texts, and periodicals. They also explain the primary law that’s produced by each branch of government and how to use different resources, both free and subscription-based, to find the law. Additionally, the book includes advice on the always daunting task of deciding when you can stop researching.

Part V of the book, titled “Advanced Research Areas,” includes guidance on topics like practice materials, factual research, and international law. In this updated edition, the authors have added advice for using generative AI in legal research, increased attention to American Indian law, and strategies to remain up to date with evolving federal executive powers and administrative law. This book, which was published by West Academic, is also available digitally to those with a law school Onyen.

Gene Nichol

Gene Nichol wrote his new book, Now What? How North Carolina Can Blaze a Progressive Path Forward in the aftermath of the 2024 election, when Republicans won control of the executive and legislative branches, in part due to North Carolina’s electoral votes going to Donald Trump. However, as Nichol points out, Democrats in North Carolina were largely successful at the state level, having won the positions of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, superintendent of public instruction, and supreme court justice.

Professor Nichol argues that Republicans are threatening democracy in North Carolina, but remains hopeful that if North Carolinians become engaged with our community, we can create a better path forward for our state. He offers support and suggestions for progressive North Carolinians who are looking for ways to create change. This book was published by Blair in October 2025.  

Leigh Osofsky

In Leigh Osofsky and Joshua D. Blank’s new book Automated Agencies: The Transformation of Government Guidance, the authors examine the “automated legal guidance” that some federal administrative agencies provide on their websites. This automated legal guidance often appears in the form of chatbots and virtual assistants, through which people can ask questions of the agency. As Osofsky and Blank explain, these chatbots are unable to provide the detailed answers that are required of complex legal questions. Consequently, users are often misled.

In writing this book Osofsky and Blank conducted years of research, which included interviews with federal agency professionals. They begin the book by exploring the rise of automated customer service in all aspects of our daily lives, as well as the increased reliance federal administrative agencies have put on automated legal guidance. They then discuss how the government attempts to explain the law to the public, especially through the use of automated legal guidance. They also explore the pros and cons of using automated legal guidance, and conclude by offering policy recommendations. The authors argue that if government agencies implement their recommendations, automated legal guidance can be more transparent and beneficial to the public. This book was published by Cambridge University Press in April 2025.