Customer Reviews

101 Law Forms for Personal Use, Third Edition

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is fantastic. There is a wealth of useful forms for everything you can imagine. I recieved this book as a gift and though that it would just take up space on my bookshelf. Ironically it has been the most referred to and used book I have ever owned. I have used the book to set up a power of attorney, prepare a tenants notice to move out, demand the return of a security deposit, complete a loan comparison worksheet, and to sell my dog. This book provides the forms and the explanation to do eveything I mentioned as well as a ton of other common transactions. It has saved me hundreds of dollars and I beleive that anyone who buys this book will cover the cost of the book within three months by making use of the forms and instructions provided.

This book was terrific. If you have half a brain and like to save money this book is a must have. It contians almost every essentail form that you will need and it explians what they are and how to use them in a clear and concise way that even my nine year old niece could understand. And I guarantee that you will rely on this thing at least once a year for the rest of your life it is just that useful.

Nolo Press was founded on the principle that not all legal transactions require retention of a lawyer. Many straightforward documents can be drafted and completed with the aid of a Nolo title sich as 101 Law Forms for Personal Use. This book, co-authored by attorneys, is divided into chapters on childcare and elder care, estate planning, will execution, landlord/tenant documents, financial documents, home ownership, personal property sales and rentals, home repair, living agreements, personal finances, consumer rights, and legal disputes. The forms are available in tear-out form and in a rich text format on CD-ROM. The rich text forms are perfect for editing and modification--one can delete and add clauses as necessary to customize the forms. I use this reference monthly for rental agreements, to draft complaint letters, and personal financial and consumer transactions. The language on the forms is simple and to-the-point.

This book is a steal at the cover price of $29.99, and Amazon regularly offers it at 30% off. Don't waste your time with software packages from the office supply store. Buy this quality product from a 35-year-plus leader in legal self-help advice. You stand to save hundreds or thousands of dollars in legal fees by doing this groundwork yourself. Nolo is quick to point out when situations get too complex for their simple forms, so be sure to heed the book's advice about turning to a lawyer if your situation warrants attention beyond the scope of the book.

These are simple law forms, and Nolo offers books which go into more detail on subjects such as landlord/tenant agreements and wills. While everyone should have this reference item in the home library, if you are planning to seriously set up your estate and trusts, or work part-time as a landlord, you should pick up one of the titles that goes into more depth on those specific subjects.

Anyone who has ever watched Judge Judy knows the importance of getting somthing in writing. But how does one go about that? Our problems have been solved with this excellent resource. There are legal forms for just about everything. I loaned some money to my brother at Thanksgiving, and before I handed over the cash I simply popped in the CD and printed out a Promissory Note and had him sign it. I have also shared this book with my father who owns several residential and commercial rental properties and he has always made transactions with a handshake. He has gotten ripped off many times over the years by crooked tenants. We went through the book together and came up with several documents that we will now use when renting/leasing his properties. Most of the forms are very basic and user-friendly, however most of us don't have the time to sit down and create them on our own. This book has been a lifesaver. Everyone should own this book because it covers so many of our frequent legal activities. Half the time we don't know it's a legal activity until it is too late. It's better to be safe than sorry. Judge Judy would be proud.

In our ever-increasingly amoral, nonsensical and litigious society one needs to protect oneself at every turn. Fortunately Nolo exists to help the common man protect himself. This book is packed with information and forms; from likely inclusions such as forms for wills, car sales and identity theft to what I hope and pray (but doubt) are oddities such as those for housesitting and dog sales. I can't say too much more about this book other than that it is well-spent money and could potentially help every single American who owns it. You just never know who is lurking in the shadows waiting to rip you off and cost you a lot of time, money and hassle. I have become quite a fan of Nolo as a company who knows this and wants to protect the little guy. Highly recommended.

When I saw 101 Law Forms offered for review by Amazon Vine, I jumped on it for two reasons. First, I have never, ever, been disappointed in a NOLO product. They are careful about the accuracy and ease of use of all their books. Second, this book contains forms I need right now, and dozens more that I could need sometime in the future. What a deal!

Here's my take on this book:

PROS:

1. As the caregiver of a 92-year-old parent, I've got plenty of expenses to be concerned with. So the fact that I have forms for Power of Attorney. eldercare agreement, estate planning, and documents for executors is going to save me a ton of money - and insure that I understand exactly what is involved in each of the documents created.

2. NOLO provides information along with the forms to be filled out, so I understand when and when not to use a specific form. This additional information is found throughout the NOLO books, and is one reason I have become a fan of the NOLO products.

3. The list of 101 forms includes things I would not have thought of, for example, a telemarketing phone call log and a demand for damages for excessive calls. Who would not enjoy putting telemarketers on notice?

4. Forms are available two ways: as tear-out sheets and as fill-in-the-blank forms on CD. You can easily install them on your computer and use them in your word processing program.

CONS:

I am not a lawyer, so I am not in a position to verify the accuracy of the forms provided. However, as a non-lawyer, I find nothing to criticize about this book and its included forms.

In summary, I have used and will continue to use forms in this book. In addition, I have found the associated checklists and worksheets tremendously helpful. I highly recommend this book for personal (not business) use.

This book is very useful. It deals with legal things like:

- delegating authority for care of property, pets, etc
- buying a house
- renting
- hiring child care, elder care, etc
- settling legal disputes
- identity theft
- buying ot selling a car
- borrowing or lending money
- estate planning
- joint living arrangements
- dealing with telemarketers, even :)

Overall, I find it a useful set of forms and pointers to other, more in-depth resources. I can't say I have used more than a small percentage of the book, but I like knowing that I have these forms ready to use when needed.

This is a very readable and accessible guide for using these forms. Readability is the most important factor for guides like this because the whole point in buying the guide is to simplify the process, and this book succeeds in doing just that.

This work has a very nice organization which breaks down the information in nice little sections. This book has chapters but even within the chapters the information is further broken down into a few paragraphs with a header in bold detailing what each smaller section is about. This allows the reader to navigate this work with little effort. Instead of having to read pages and pages of information not pertinent to their needs, all the reader has to do is find the section they need then find the bold header above the section of information they need to find what they need. This organizational structure makes this book a pleasant experience.

The forms are all laid out with sections devoted to their use and which form to use for which legal need. The book tells the reader what they need and how to fill out each form. Once again this area is well structured which makes everything very accessible and easy to understand.

These types of guides are wonderful for most simple legal needs, and for a small price tag of 20-30 dollars this book can potentially save users hundreds if not thousands of dollars on unnecessary legal fees. With that said these guides have a limited uselfullness. As the reader's legal needs become more complex it becomes more necessary to seek out professional legal advice. This should be self evident though, and potential users should be able to distinguish which they need.

All and all this is a very useful guide that I do recommend.

There are a thousand and one reasons why you might need an attorney and probably a thousand and one reasons (all green and folding) why you don't want to go to one if you don't have too. This book will help keep you out of the lawyer's office. Just about any kind of legal form you might ever need is included on the enclosed CD ROM.

From simple wills to living together agreements (who'd ever think you'd need one of those), to the forms you might need when selling a car and many, many more you'll find here, along with some helpful advice on which form you might need for which situation and how to go about filling it out.

This book can save you money, save you headaches and time, too. NOLO books are written in normal language, no legalese here. If I can understand them, you can too.

This book contains more than one hundred forms -- checklists, contract templates, notices, model letters -- that address issues ranging from buying a house to buying a car to buying a dog, renting an apartment, renting out an apartment, living together and hiring child care to dealing with junk mail. There are draft letters for making a formal complaint, making an insurance claim, canceling a membership, beginning special education, requesting a credit report, disputing an incorrect credit report entry. You name it; it's in here.

If you've ever struggled to write a letter complaining about something or making a request, this book can help you get started. Most of the documents are simple and straightforward, For complicated transactions or transactions involving high dollar-value items, you'll likely want to seek guidance from a lawyer.