Law For Dummies

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ISBN: 9780764558306 | 0764558307
Cover: Paperback
Copyright: 2/25/2005

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Get answers to your legal questions -- in plain English! Find out how to protect your family, your money, your job, and your rights If you're like most people, you probably don't know much about your legal rights and responsibilities -- until you run smack-dab into a messy legal problem. Now revised and updated, this friendly guide helps you get a handle on a wide range of everyday legal issues, decipher legal mumbo-jumbo -- and come out on top. Discover how to: * Protect your child support rights * Arm yourself against identity theft * Clean up your credit and improve your credit score * Hire the right attorney for your needs * Draw up wills and living wills

Introduction

(6)

About This Book

(1)

Conventions Used in This Book

(1)

How Is This Book Organized

(2)

Part I: Basic Legal Stuff

(1)

Part II: Laws That Affect Your Daily Life

(1)

Part III: The Law and Your Money

(1)

Part IV: Tough Stuff: Being Sick, Getting Older, Dying

(1)

Part V: Crime and Punishment

(1)

Part VI: The Part of Tens

(1)

Icons Used in This Book

(1)

Where to Go from Here

(1)

Part 1: Basic Legal Stuff

(40)

Chapter 1: All About Our Legal System

(16)

What Are Laws and Where Do They Come From?

(3)

The Constitution

(1)

The Bill of Rights

(1)

State law

(1)

Statute law

(1)

Administrative law

(1)

Common law

(1)

Case law

(1)

Civil Law versus Criminal Law

(1)

Our Court Systems

(3)

State courts

(1)

Federal courts

(1)

All about Contracts

(6)

Written contracts

(1)

Form contracts

(1)

Now you can e-sign on the dotted line

(1)

What if I want out?

(2)

What to Expect If You're Involved in a Lawsuit

(4)

In the beginning

(1)

The plot thickens

(1)

Compromise, compromise

(1)

Just the facts! Nothing but the facts!

(1)

It's show time!

(1)

Winning isn't everything

(1)

If justice wasn't done

(1)

Chapter 2: Do It Yourself: Solving Your Own Legal Problems

(10)

Easy Ways to Solve Legal Problems

(2)

Communicate

(1)

Nip it in the bud

(1)

Offer a reasonable solution

(1)

Be polite

(1)

Prove it

(1)

Keep records

(1)

Get it down in black and white

(1)

Dispute Resolution: Burying the Hatchet

(4)

Mediation: Let's talk

(1)

Arbitration: Let's get someone else to fix things

(2)

Organizations and agencies you should know about

(1)

The People's Court

(4)

Going to trial

(1)

Getting your money

(2)

Chapter 3: Solving Legal Problems with an Attorney

(12)

When You Need an Attorney

(1)

Why You Need an Attorney

(1)

What to Look For in an Attorney

(2)

The right qualifications and experience

(1)

Other important factors

(1)

Where to Find an Attorney

(1)

Getting to Know You, Getting to Know All About You

(1)

Talking Dollars and Cents

(2)

The Attorney-Client Relationship

(2)

If You're Unhappy with Your Attorney

(1)

You get what you think is an excessive invoice

(1)

You're unhappy with the quality of your attorney's work

(1)

Why Didn't I Think of That First?

(1)

Can't I Act as My Own Attorney?

(1)

Part II: Laws That Affect Your Daily Life

(98)

Chapter 4: Relationships, Marriage, and Divorce

(24)

Love No Longer Equals Marriage

(1)

Living Together

(4)

Getting Married

(3)

Getting a marriage license

(1)

Opting for a prenuptial agreement

(1)

Playing the name game

(1)

Breaking Up Can Be Hard to Do

(11)

Pretend it didn't happen: Annulment

(1)

Take some time apart: Separation

(1)

Call it quits: Divorce

(9)

Deadbeat Dads...and Moms

(3)

Unmarried Women and Child Support

(2)

Chapter 5: Parenting and Child Care

(14)

To Be or Not to Be a Parent

(1)

Being a Parent Is Serious Stuff

(3)

Legal obligations

(1)

Education

(1)

Medical care

(1)

Discipline and liability

(1)

Defining the Roles of Legal Guardians and Foster Parents

(1)

Protecting Against Abuse and Neglect

(1)

The Ins and Outs of Adoption

(3)

The types of adoptions

(1)

Fathers and adoptions

(1)

Your options if you're adopted

(1)

Using a Surrogate

(2)

Child Care

(3)

Hiring home-based child care

(1)

Don't forget your tax obligations

(2)

Chapter 6: The Law and Your Job

(22)

Applying for a Job

(3)

The interview or job application

(1)

References

(1)

Background checks

(1)

Testing

(1)

Dealing with Job Offers That Come with Conditions

(1)

Legal Issues on the Job

(7)

Getting paid: Show me the money!

(2)

What to do if you're not being paid correctly

(1)

When do I get my paycheck, and why did you take

out so much?

(1)

Job benefits

(1)

A must-have job benefit: Family and medical leave

(2)

Dealing with Employment-Related Discrimination

(2)

Sexual Harassment

100

(2)

Safety on the Job

102

(1)

Reporting unsafe conditions

102

(1)

Dealing with accidents

103

(1)

What Your Employer Has the Right to Know about You

103

(3)

Calling It Quits

106

(3)

Severance pay

106

(1)

Unemployment insurance

107

(1)

Health insurance

107

(2)

Chapter 7: Driving and the Law

109

(8)

Getting Your Driver's License

109

(1)

The Rules of the Road

110

(1)

Uh Oh! Stopped by the Cops

111

(1)

Searching your car

111

(1)

Searching your person

112

(1)

Getting Tickets

112

(1)

Accidents Happen

113

(1)

Drinking and Driving

114

(1)

The Responsibilities of Owning a Vehicle

115

(2)

115

(1)

Get it inspected

115

(1)

Maintain valid insurance

115

(2)

Chapter 8: Privacy: Do You Really Have Any?

117

(28)

Who Knows What About Me?

118

(1)

The Federal Privacy Act

119

(3)

How to find out what's in your information file

120

(1)

How to amend your file

121

(1)

Privacy Act shortcomings

122

(1)

The Right to Financial Privacy Act

122

(4)

The federal Financial Services Modernization Act

123

(3)

The Federal Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act

126

(12)

An ounce of prevention

127

(3)

What to do if you're a victim of identity theft

130

(7)

Protecting your identity when you go online

137

(1)

The Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

138

(3)

What to do if your HIPAA rights are violated

140

(1)

When doctor-patient confidentiality can be violated

141

(1)

Post-9/11 Inroads into Your Privacy: The Patriot Act

141

(4)

Part III: The Law and Your Money

145

(74)

Chapter 9: So You Want to Be an Entrepreneur!

147

(20)

Getting Off to the Right Start

148

(8)

Sole proprietorships

149

(1)

Partnerships

150

(2)

Corporations

152

(2)

Franchises

154

(2)

Working out of Your Home

156

(1)

Planning ahead

156

(1)

Dealing with taxes and insurance

157

(1)

Making Nice with the IRS

157

(2)

Knowing Your Employees

159

(1)

Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights

160

(4)

Patents

160

(2)

Trademarks

162

(1)

Copyrights

163

(1)

When Good Businesses Go Bad: Bankruptcy

164

(3)

Getting your business back on its feet: Reorganization bankruptcies

164

(1)

Starting with a clean slate: Chapter 7 bankruptcy

165

(2)

Chapter 10: Credit: Getting It, Using It, Losing It, Rebuilding It

167

(22)

Getting Credit

168

(2)

The Equal Credit Opportunity Act

168

(2)

The Truth in Lending Act

170

(1)

Using Credit and Protecting Your Credit Record

170

(9)

And now, a few words about credit records and credit reporting agencies

171

(1)

How credit record information is used

172

(1)

Getting in touch with the three credit reporting agencies

172

(1)

An overview of your credit record rights

173

(2)

Correcting credit record problems

175

(2)

I don't think I owe this: Correcting billing statement problems

177

(2)

When You Can't Pay Your Bills

179

(8)

Dealing with debt collectors

179

(3)

If you think your rights have been violated

182

(2)

Taking the pressure off: Filing for bankruptcy

184

(3)

The Credit Repair Organizations Act

187

(2)

Chapter 11: Smart Spending

189

(12)

Shopping by Mail or on the Internet

190

(1)

Knock Knock: Buying from a Door-to-Door Salesperson

190

(1)

Avoiding Scams: Do I Have a Deal for You!

191

(7)

Sure signs of scams

192

(3)

Hazards on the Internet

195

(1)

Charitable scams

195

(1)

Making yourself scam proof

196

(2)

If you become a victim of a scam

198

(1)

Buying a Product on Warranty

198

(3)

All warranties are not equal

199

(1)

Implied warranties

199

(1)

Resolving warranty problems

200

(1)

Chapter 12: Buying and Selling a Home

201

(18)

Finding a Home to Buy

201

(1)

Working with an Agent or Broker

202

(1)

If You're the Seller

203

(5)

Listing your home: What to expect

203

(2)

Selling your home on your own

205

(1)

Truth is on your side

206

(2)

Filling in the contract blanks

208

(1)

If You're the Buyer

208

(3)

Finding a Mortgage

211

(4)

Dealing with lenders

211

(1)

Demystifying loans

212

(1)

Applying for a loan

213

(2)

If your loan is denied

215

(1)

Closing the Deal as the Buyer

215

(1)

Closing and the Seller

216

(1)

Buying or Building a New Home

217

(2)

Part IV: Tough Stuff: Being Sick, Getting Older, Dying

219

(86)

Chapter 13: Your Health Care Rights

221

(20)

Power to Patients!

222

(7)

Informed consent

222

(1)

The right to medical treatment

223

(2)

The right not to be released before you're ready

225

(1)

The right to refuse medical treatment

226

(1)

The right to see what's in your medical records

226

(1)

Prescription for problem solving

227

(2)

Your Rights If You're HIV-Positive or Have AIDS

229

(2)

Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act

230

(1)

Privacy rights when you're HIV-positive or have AIDS

230

(1)

Organizations you should know about

231

(1)

Fighting Medical Malpractice

231

(1)

Paying for Your Medical Expenses

232

(9)

Taking advantage of employer-supplied coverage

232

(2)

Maintain your employer-provided health coverage through COBRA

234

(1)

Signing on for government-sponsored health programs

234

(1)

A crash course in managing managed care

235

(2)

Getting a handle on health savings accounts

237

(1)

If you have problems with your claims

238

(3)

Chapter 14: Getting Older: We All Do It

241

(32)

Financing Your Retirement

242

(9)

Defined-benefit and defined-contribution pension plans - what's the difference?

243

(2)

Being "vested" is not a fashion statement

245

(1)

Following the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)

246

(5)

Managing Medicare

251

(11)

Help! I'm lost in the Medicare maze

252

(1)

Medicare Part A

252

(2)

Medicare Part B

254

(1)

Enrolling in Medicare

255

(1)

The devil is in the details

255

(2)

If you can't afford the original Medicare program

257

(1)

Filing Medicare claims

257

(1)

What to do if your Medicare claim is denied

258

(1)

Temporary relief: Medicare's prescription drug card

259

(1)

Purchasing Medigap insurance

260

(2)

Nursing Home Care

262

(7)

The Nursing Home Reform Act

264

(2)

Getting help through ombudsman programs

266

(1)

Protecting your rights

266

(1)

Paying for nursing home care

267

(2)

Home Health Care

269

(2)

Other Residential Options for Seniors

271

(2)

Chapter 15: Estate Planning

273

(18)

What Does Estate Planning Involve and How Do I Do It?

274

(1)

The Importance of an Estate Planning Attorney

274

(2)

Starting with a Will

276

(7)

The perils of dying without a will (apart from being dead)

276

(1)

Making a will legal

277

(1)

Giving away property

278

(1)

Thinking about who gets what

279

(2)

Appointing an executor

281

(1)

Going through the probate process

282

(1)

Alternatives to a Will

283

(6)

Insurance policies, employee benefit plans, and IRAs

284

(1)

Inter vivos gifts

284

(1)

Custodial accounts

284

(1)

Trusts

285

(4)

Taxes (Of Course)

289

(1)

Planning for Your Incapacitation

289

(2)

Managing your financial affairs

289

(1)

Making decisions about your health care

290

(1)

Chapter 16: Death and Dying: Doing It Gracefully

291

(14)

Laying It Out in a Living Will

291

(2)

Giving Someone a Durable Power of Attorney for Your Health Care

293

(1)

If You Don't Have a Living Will or Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care

294

(2)

Planning Your Funeral Without Getting Ripped Off

296

(7)

The Funeral Rule

297

(1)

Things to consider if you prepay your funeral

298

(1)

Choosing caskets, burial vaults, cremations, and other options

299

(1)

Signing on for viatical settlements

300

(2)

Getting assistance from accelerated benefits

302

(1)

Euthanasia, Doctor-Assisted Suicide, and Your Right to Die

303

(2)

Part V: Crime and Punishment

305

(32)

Chapter 17: Do the Crime, Do the Time

307

(22)

What Is a Crime?

307

(1)

Types of Crimes

308

(1)

Getting Arrested

309

(11)

Search warrants and search and seizure

311

(2)

Getting booked

313

(1)

Going to jail (Do not pass go; do not collect $200)

314

(1)

Being formally charged

315

(1)

Making your plea

316

(1)

Planning your defense

317

(3)

The days or months leading up to your trial

320

(1)

The Trial

320

(7)

Jury selection

321

(1)

Opening statements

322

(1)

Closing arguments

323

(1)

Jury deliberations

323

(1)

The decision

323

(1)

The sentence

324

(2)

Pardons

326

(1)

Appeals

326

(1)

Your Rights as a Prisoner

327

(1)

If You're the Victim of a Crime

327

(2)

Chapter 18: Juvenile Law: The Times Are Changing

329

(8)

Juveniles and the Law

329

(1)

If Your Child Gets Arrested

330

(1)

The Changing Road to Justice in Juvenile Hearings

331

(1)

What May Happen If Your Child Is Found Guilty in Juvenile Court

332

(2)

Harsher Treatment for Some Juveniles

334

(1)

Parents Beware: The Laws May Hold You Accountable!

335

(2)

Part VI: The Part of Tens

337

(14)

Chapter 19: More Than Ten Ways to Avoid Legal Problems

339

(6)

Increase Your Legal IQ

339

(1)

Think Before You Act

339

(1)

Use Common Sense

340

(1)

Commit Important Agreements to Writing

340

(1)

Purchase Adequate Insurance

341

(1)

Keep Your Debt to a Minimum and Save Regularly

341

(1)

Be Forgiving in Your Dealings with Others

342

(1)

Don't Argue with Law Enforcement Officials

342

(1)

Don't Thumb Your Nose at the IRS

342

(1)

Don't Mix Flirtation with Business

342

(1)

Meet Your Child Support Obligations

343

(1)

Don't Set Up Your Business as a Partnership

343

(1)

Plan Your Estate

344

(1)

Chapter 20: Ten Common Mistakes Consumers Make When Hiring an Attorney

345

(6)

Not Asking an Attorney to Come Down in Price

345

(1)

Thinking That Lawyers Who Advertise Should Be Avoided

346

(1)

Hiring an Attorney You Don't Feel Comfortable With

346

(1)

Not Avoiding Attorneys Who Win by Intimidation

347

(1)

Hiring an Attorney Because You're Angry and Want to Get Even

347

(1)

Not Telling Your Attorney Everything about Your Case

348

(1)

Hiring Someone You Know to Represent You

348

(1)

Not Checking Your Attorney's Courtroom Track Record

349

(1)

Not Getting a Written Contract or Agreement of Representation

349

(1)

Not Making Certain That Your Attorney Doesn't Have a Conflict of Interest

349

(1)

Not Interviewing More Than One Attorney

350

(1)

Index

351

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Law For Dummies

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

FREE SHIPPING

Rent More, Save More! Use code: BBRENTAL

5% off 1 book, 7% off 2 books, 10% off 3+ books

Law For Dummies

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Digital License