CONTENTS:

Lawyer basics -- When do you need a lawyer? -- Looking for a lawyer -- Legal fees and expenses -- When things go wrong -- Introduction to the legal system -- The structure of the court system -- The civil trial : step by step -- Mediation and small-claims court -- Marriage -- Money matters during marriage -- Children -- Separation, annulment, and divorce -- Introduction to buying and selling a home -- Meeting the players -- Financing a home purchase -- The steps of buying and selling a home -- Tax considerations -- Property rights and restrictions -- Property insurance and other protections -- Homeowner's insurance -- Managing neighborhood problems -- Remodeling -- Shared ownership : condos and condominiums -- The financial side of home ownership -- Renting basics -- Maintaining rental property -- Ending the landlord-tenant relationship -- Other issues -- Credit basics -- Choosing a credit card -- Applying for credit -- Credit records -- Debt, debt collection, and credit repair -- Introduction to bankruptcy -- Straight bankruptcy : chapter 7 -- Chapter 13 -- Chapter 13 or chapter 7? -- Introduction to contracts -- Types of contracts -- Special consumer protections -- Travel -- When things go wrong --

Online purchases -- Computers on the job -- Internet issues -- Computer copyright and trademark issues -- Law enforcement and the computer -- Child protection and the internet -- Buying, renting, and leasing a car -- Consumer protections -- Inspections and repairs -- Your automobile and the police -- Accidents and insurance -- Introduction to law and the workplace -- Federal laws regulating the workplace -- The hiring process -- On the job -- Leaving a job -- Starting a business -- Franchising and buying a business -- Types of business organizations -- Intellectual property -- Business problems -- The basics of personal injury law -- Negligence -- Strict liability -- Intentional wrongs -- The basics of criminal law -- The police and your rights -- Court procedures -- Age discrimination on the job -- Pensions -- Social security and supplemental security income -- Health and long-term care benefits -- Housing and long-term care options -- Rights of people with disabilities -- A right to control your own affairs -- The Older Americans Act and services -- Patients' rights -- Health-care options -- Regulating health-care professionals -- Specific issues in health care -- Estate-planning basics -- Wills -- Trusts and living trusts -- Other estate-planning assets and tools -- Some special circumstances -- Death and taxes -- Probate -- Appendix -- Glossary.