Nolo's Encyclopedia of Everyday Law - Answers to Your Most Frequently Asked Legal Questions, 10th Edition

Nolo's Encyclopedia of Everyday Law - Answers to Your Most Frequently Asked Legal Questions, 10th Edition Table of Contents About Nolo’s Encyclopedia of Everyday Law...............................................1 1 Houses...........................................................................................................................................3 Buying a House..............................................................................................................................4 Selling Your House .....................................................................................................................11 Deeds...............................................................................................................................................17 2 Neighbors.................................................................................................................................21 Boundaries.................................................................................................................................... 22 Fences............................................................................................................................................. 23 Trees................................................................................................................................................ 25 Views............................................................................................................................................... 26 Noise............................................................................................................................................... 29 3 Landlords and Tenants .................................................................................................33 Leases and Rental Agreements............................................................................................. 34 Tenant (and Rental) Selection .............................................................................................. 36 Housing Discrimination ...........................................................................................................37 Rent and Security Deposits ................................................................................................... 39 Tenants’ Privacy Rights.............................................................................................................41 Roommates, Sublets, and Airbnb.........................................................................................42 Repairs and Maintenance........................................................................................................43 Landlord Liability for Criminal Acts and Activities .......................................................45 Landlord Liability for Lead Poisoning ................................................................................ 48 Landlord Liability for Exposure to Asbestos, Mold, and Bedbugs.......................... 49 Insurance....................................................................................................................................... 50 Resolving Disputes .....................................................................................................................52 Tenancy Terminations and Evictions ..................................................................................534 Workplace Rights ..............................................................................................................57 Fair Pay and Time Off............................................................................................................... 58 Workplace Health and Safety ............................................................................................... 69 Workers’ Compensation ......................................................................................................... 72 Discrimination ............................................................................................................................ 77 Harassment.................................................................................................................................. 90 Workplace Privacy......................................................................................................................93 Losing Your Job........................................................................................................................... 97 5 Small Businesses ..............................................................................................................103 Before You Start a Small Business .....................................................................................104 Legal Structures for Small Businesses .............................................................................. 110 Nonprofit Corporations........................................................................................................ 118 Small Business Taxes............................................................................................................... 121 Home-Based Businesses........................................................................................................127 Employers’ Rights & Responsibilities................................................................................ 131 6 Patents .....................................................................................................................................149 Qualifying for a Patent...........................................................................................................150 Obtaining a Patent..................................................................................................................156 Enforcing a Patent ...................................................................................................................157 Putting a Patent to Work ..................................................................................................... 161 How Patents Differ From Copyrights and Trademarks ............................................162 7 Copyrights ............................................................................................................................165 Copyright Basics.......................................................................................................................166 Copyright Ownership ............................................................................................................168 Copyright Protection .............................................................................................................171 Copyright Registration and Enforcement...................................................................... 1748 Trademarks..........................................................................................................................177 Types of Trademarks...............................................................................................................178 Trademark Protection............................................................................................................181 Using and Enforcing a Trademark .....................................................................................184 Conducting a Trademark Search.......................................................................................187 Registering a Trademark .......................................................................................................189 How Trademarks Differ From Patents and Copyrights ............................................193 9 Your Money.........................................................................................................................197 Purchasing Goods and Services .........................................................................................198 Using Credit and Charge Cards..........................................................................................203 Using an ATM or Debit Card...............................................................................................206 Strategies for Repaying Debts, House Payments, and Student Loans ................207 Dealing With the IRS.............................................................................................................. 214 Debt Collections ...................................................................................................................... 217 Bankruptcy.................................................................................................................................220 Rebuilding Credit.....................................................................................................................223 10 Cars and Driving..............................................................................................................229 Buying a New Car.....................................................................................................................230 Leasing a Car..............................................................................................................................235 Buying a Used Car....................................................................................................................237 Financing a Vehicle Purchase..............................................................................................240 Insuring Your Car..................................................................................................................... 241 Your Driver’s License ..............................................................................................................244 Driving for Uber or Lyft......................................................................................................... 247 If You’re Stopped by the Police...........................................................................................248 Drunk Driving............................................................................................................................250 Traffic Accidents ......................................................................................................................25211 Wills and Estate Planning ........................................................................................255 Wills...............................................................................................................................................256 Probate.........................................................................................................................................262 Executors.....................................................................................................................................263 Avoiding Probate .....................................................................................................................267 Living Trusts...............................................................................................................................268 Estate and Gift Taxes..............................................................................................................271 Funeral Planning and Other Final Arrangements....................................................... 274 Body and Organ Donations.................................................................................................278 12 Health Care Directives and Powers of Attorney .................................281 Health Care Directives...........................................................................................................282 Durable Powers of Attorney for Finances......................................................................289 Conservatorships.....................................................................................................................293 13 Older Americans.............................................................................................................297 Retirement Plans......................................................................................................................298 Social Security...........................................................................................................................302 Medicare .....................................................................................................................................308 Finding a Caregiver or Residential Care Facility........................................................... 314 14 Spouses and Partners..................................................................................................321 Living Together—Gay or Straight .....................................................................................322 Domestic Partnership and Civil Unions .........................................................................326 Premarital Agreements .........................................................................................................328 Marriage ......................................................................................................................................331 Divorce.........................................................................................................................................335 Domestic Violence..................................................................................................................341 Changing Your Name.............................................................................................................34415 Parents and Children................................................................................................... 351 Adopting a Child......................................................................................................................352 Stepparent Adoptions ...........................................................................................................363 Adoption Rights: Birth Parents, Grandparents, and Children ...............................365 Child Custody and Visitation..............................................................................................368 Child Support............................................................................................................................375 Guardianship of Children .....................................................................................................381 16 Courts and Mediation................................................................................................385 Representing Yourself in Court..........................................................................................386 Small Claims Court..................................................................................................................396 Mediation ...................................................................................................................................403 Finding and Working With a Lawyer ...............................................................................409 17 Criminal Law and Procedure................................................................................421 Criminal Law and Procedure: An Overview..................................................................422 If You Are Questioned by the Police................................................................................428 Searches and Seizures.............................................................................................................430 Arrests and Interrogations...................................................................................................433 Bail .................................................................................................................................................437 Getting a Lawyer......................................................................................................................439 Glossary...................................................................................................................................447 Appendix Legal Research ...................................................................................................................469 Learning About a Particular Area of the Law ...............................................................470 Finding a Specific Law............................................................................................................472 Finding Answers to Specific Legal Questions...............................................................478 Finding Legal Forms................................................................................................................480 Index ..........................................................................................................................................483About Nolo’s Encyclopedia of Everyday Law W hether 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 phone call, or shopping at the farmer’s market. 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 hundreds of 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 resources for additional information, including websites that will help you learn more about a specific area of the law, find the answer to your legal question, connect you with a government or community agency, or lead you to the form you need to accomplish a specific legal task. And if you need to go further, and read the text of a specific law or court case, the appendix in this book explains how to do basic legal research online or at the library. 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. 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