About This Book

Whether we like it or not, the law touches our personal lives in many ways each day. We may not think much about the laws that affect us as we carry out simple tasks such as driving a car, making a telephone call, or buying milk at the corner grocery store. But every now and again, we’re sure to need an answer to a common legal question that arises in the course of daily life:

What can I do about my noisy neighbor?

What are my rights if I’m fired from my job?

Do I really need to make a will?

What should I do if I can’t pay the child support I owe?

And so on.

This book provides answers to frequently asked questions about more than 100 subjects you might encounter in your personal life—topics that range from buying a house to getting a divorce, from paying your debts to starting and running a small business. Obviously, we can’t answer every question on a particular subject, but we’ve answered many common ones to get you started. Throughout each chapter, you’ll find resource boxes listing sources for more information about a particular subject.

In addition, for those of you who are computer savvy, each chapter contains a list of online sites that will help you learn more about a particular area of the law. Look for the “Online Help” icon as you read. And if you need more information about finding the law, the appendix contains a section that shows you how to do basic legal research—with a focus on using the Internet.

Think of this book as a desk reference—a little encyclopedia that explains what the law really means in a language you can understand. But remember that the law changes constantly, as legislatures pass new statutes and courts hand down their rulings. We will publish new, revised editions of this book periodically, but it will never be perfectly current. It’s always your responsibility to be sure a law is up to date before you rely on it. Check for legal updates on our website at www.nolo.com for the most current legal information affecting Nolo books and software.

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