Table of Contents

About This Book

1. Houses

Buying a House
Selling Your House
Deeds

2. Neighbors

Boundaries
Fences
Trees
Views
Noise

3. Landlords and Tenants

Leases and Rental Agreements
Tenant Selection
Housing Discrimination
Rent and Security Deposits
Tenants’ Privacy Rights
Cable Access and Satellite Dishes
Repairs and Maintenance
Landlord Liability for Criminal Acts and Activities
Landlord Liability for Lead Poisoning
Landlord’s Liability for Exposure to Asbestos and Mold
Insurance
Resolving Disputes

4. Workplace Rights

Fair Pay and Time Off
Workplace Health and Safety
Workers’ Compensation
Discrimination
Harassment
Workplace Privacy
Losing Your Job

5. Small Businesses

Before You Start
Legal Structures for Small Businesses
Nonprofit Corporations
Small Business Taxes
Home-Based Businesses
Employers’ Rights & Responsibilities

6. Patents

Qualifying for a Patent
Obtaining a Patent
Enforcing a Patent
Putting a Patent to Work
How Patents Differ From Copyrights and Trademarks

7. Copyrights

Copyright Basics
Copyright Ownership
Copyright Protection
Copyright Registration and Enforcement

8. Trademarks

Types of Trademarks
Trademark Protection
Using and Enforcing a Trademark
Conducting a Trademark Search
Registering a Trademark
How Trademarks Differ From Patents and Copyrights

9. Your Money

Purchasing Goods and Services
Using Credit and Charge Cards
Using an ATM or Debit Card
Strategies for Repaying Debts
Dealing With the IRS
Debt Collections
Bankruptcy
Rebuilding Credit

10. Cars and Driving

Buying a New Car
Leasing a Car
Buying a Used Car
Financing a Vehicle Purchase
Insuring Your Car
Your Driver’s License
If You’re Stopped by the Police
Drunk Driving
Traffic Accidents

11. Wills and Estate Planning

Wills
Probate
Executors
Avoiding Probate
Living Trusts
Estate and Gift Taxes
Funeral Planning and Other Final Arrangements
Body and Organ Donations
12 Health Care Directives and Powers of Attorney
Health Care Directives
Durable Powers of Attorney for Finances
Conservatorships

13. Older Americans

Social Security
Retirement Plans
Medicare
Finding a Caregiver or Residential Care Facility

14. Spouses and Partners

Living Together—Gay or Straight
Domestic Partnership and Civil Unions
Premarital Agreements
Marriage
Divorce
Domestic Violence
Changing Your Name

15. Parents and Children

Adopting a Child
Stepparent Adoptions
Adoption Rights: Birth Parents, Grandparents, and Children
Child Custody and Visitation
Child Support
Guardianship of Children

16. Courts and Mediation

Representing Yourself in Court
Small Claims Court
Mediation
Finding and Working With a Lawyer

17. Criminal Law and Procedure

Criminal Law and Procedure: An Overview
If You Are Questioned by the Police
Searches and Seizures
Arrests and Interrogations
Bail
Getting a Lawyer

G. Glossary

A. Appendix: Legal Research

Learning About a Particular Area of the Law
Finding a Specific Law
Finding Answers to Specific Legal Questions
Finding Legal Forms

Index

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