Nolo's Encyclopedia of Everyday Law: Answers to Your Most Frequently Asked Legal Questions (Nolo's Encyclopedia of Everyday Law)

Amazon.com ReviewHere is a practical book for non-lawyers, providing clear answers to frequently asked questions in 74 different areas of the law. "What do I do about my noisy neighbors?" "What are my rights if I'm fired from my job?" "Do I really need to make a will?" In lieu of going to law school, this book gives a good, basic grounding on the legal matters most likely to touch your life--your home, your car, your money, and your job, among others. It's an excellent reference book for any home library. From Library JournalThis book digests information offered in many other Nolo Press titles. Chapters answer basic legal questions pertaining to estate planing, domestic relations, landlords and tenants, employment, small businesses, money management and debt, neighbor conflicts, elder law, and automobiles. Nolo's trademark style is present?plain English writing with useful lists of additional resources. The question-and-answer format forms the backbone of the book, and practical examples, explanations of legal principles, and useful tips appear throughout. Any library with a substantial collection of Nolo materials will find this to be redundant, but small collections looking for a general legal guide may want to add this latest offering.?Joan Pedzich, Harris Beach & Wilcox LLP, Rochester, N.Y.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. Table of Contents......Page 6 Introduction: About This Book......Page 11 1. Houses......Page 12 Buying a House......Page 13 Selling Your House......Page 20 Deeds......Page 25 2. Neighbors......Page 28 Boundaries......Page 29 Fences......Page 30 Trees......Page 32 Views......Page 33 Noise......Page 35 3. Landlords and Tenants......Page 39 Leases and Rental Agreements......Page 40 Tenant Selection......Page 42 Housing Discrimination......Page 43 Rent and Security Deposits......Page 44 Tenants’ Privacy Rights......Page 45 Cable Access and Satellite Dishes......Page 46 Repairs and Maintenance......Page 48 Landlord Liability for Criminal Acts and Activities......Page 50 Landlord Liability for Lead Poisoning......Page 52 Landlord’s Liability for Exposure to Asbestos and Mold......Page 53 Insurance......Page 54 Resolving Disputes......Page 55 4. Workplace Rights......Page 59 Fair Pay and Time Off......Page 61 Workplace Health and Safety......Page 69 Workers’ Compensation......Page 71 Discrimination......Page 76 Harassment......Page 86 Workplace Privacy......Page 89 Losing Your Job......Page 92 5. Small Businesses......Page 96 Before You Start......Page 97 Legal Structures for Small Businesses......Page 103 Nonprofit Corporations......Page 109 Small Business Taxes......Page 111 Home-Based Businesses......Page 116 Employers’ Rights & Responsibilities......Page 120 6. Patents......Page 135 Qualifying for a Patent......Page 136 Obtaining a Patent......Page 141 Enforcing a Patent......Page 143 Putting a Patent to Work......Page 146 How Patents Differ From Copyrights and Trademarks......Page 147 7. Copyrights......Page 149 Copyright Basics......Page 150 Copyright Ownership......Page 152 Copyright Protection......Page 154 Copyright Registration and Enforcement......Page 157 8. Trademarks......Page 160 Types of Trademarks......Page 161 Trademark Protection......Page 164 Using and Enforcing a Trademark......Page 166 Conducting a Trademark Search......Page 168 Registering a Trademark......Page 171 How Trademarks Differ From Patents and Copyrights......Page 175 9. Your Money......Page 177 Purchasing Goods and Services......Page 178 Using Credit and Charge Cards......Page 183 Using an ATM or Debit Card......Page 185 Strategies for Repaying Debts......Page 186 Dealing With the IRS......Page 192 Debt Collections......Page 195 Bankruptcy......Page 197 Rebuilding Credit......Page 200 10. Cars and Driving......Page 204 Buying a New Car......Page 205 Leasing a Car......Page 210 Buying a Used Car......Page 212 Financing aVehicle Purchase......Page 214 Insuring Your Car......Page 215 Your Driver’s License......Page 218 If You’re Stopped by the Police......Page 221 Drunk Driving......Page 222 Traffic Accidents......Page 224 11. Wills and Estate Planning......Page 228 Wills......Page 229 Probate......Page 235 Executors......Page 236 Living Trusts......Page 239 Estate and Gift Taxes......Page 243 Funeral Planning and Other Final Arrangements......Page 246 Body and Organ Donations......Page 250 12. Health Care Directives and Powers of Attorney......Page 252 Health Care Directives......Page 253 Durable Powers of Attorney for Finances......Page 259 Conservatorships......Page 262 13. Older Americans......Page 266 Retirement Plans......Page 267 Social Security......Page 271 Medicare......Page 276 Finding a Caregiver or Residential Care Facility......Page 281 14. Spouses and Partners......Page 286 Living Together— Gay or Straight......Page 287 Domestic Partnership and Civil Unions......Page 291 Premarital Agreements......Page 292 Marriage......Page 295 Divorce......Page 299 Domestic Violence......Page 307 Changing Your Name......Page 310 15. Parents and Children......Page 316 Adopting a Child......Page 317 Stepparent Adoptions......Page 327 Adoption Rights: Birth Parents, Grandparents, and Children......Page 329 Child Custody and Visitation......Page 331 Child Support......Page 337 Guardianship of Children......Page 342 16. Courts and Mediation......Page 347 Representing Yourself in Court......Page 348 Small Claims Court......Page 357 Mediation......Page 363 Finding and Working With a Lawyer......Page 367 17. Criminal Law and Procedure......Page 378 Criminal Law and Procedure: An Overview......Page 380 If You Are Questioned by the Police......Page 384 Searches and Seizures......Page 386 Arrests and Interrogations......Page 389 Bail......Page 392 Getting a Lawyer......Page 394 Glossary......Page 400 Appendix: Legal Research......Page 418 Learning About a Particular Area of the Law......Page 419 Finding a Specific Law......Page 421 Finding Answers to Specific Legal Questions......Page 426 Finding Legal Forms......Page 428 Index......Page 431 Everything you wanted to know about the law, but couldn't afford to ask. How do I get a collection agency to stop harassing me? If I work 50 hours a week, shouldn't I be getting overtime? My new car is a lemon -- what can I do? Like it or not, the law affects practically every aspect of our lives and legal questions come up daily. Nolo's Encyclopedia of Everyday Law has the answers. Written by Nolo's expert team of attorneys, the book provides concise, plain-English answers to hundreds of the most frequently asked legal questions about issues you face every day, including: credit and debt, workplace rights, wills, divorce, bankruptcy, social security, landlord-tenant laws, child custody and visitation, adoption and much more! Completely updated to reflect the latest in the law. Everything you wanted to know about the law, but couldn't afford to ask.How do I get a collection agency to stop harassing me? If I work 50 hours a week shouldn't I be getting overtime? My new car is a lemon -- what can I do?Like it or not, the law affects practically every aspect of our lives, and legal questions come up daily. Nolo's Encyclopedia of Everyday Law has the answers.Written by Nolo's expert team of attorneys, the book provides concise, plain-English answers to hundreds of the most frequently asked legal questions about issues you face every day, including:credit and debtworkplace rightswillsdivorcebankruptcysocial securitylandlord-tenant lawschild custody and visitationadoptionand much moreThe 7th edition is completely updated to reflect the latest in the law