From Library Journal
This new reference book is aptly named, for it covers an impressive range of legal issues, from obtaining a birth certificate to donating a body to medical research. The editors of Court TV and the American Lawyer invented the Goodfriend family who, sadly, are afflicted with more legal problems than O.J. Simpson. The Goodfriends and their acquaintances get into accidents, get married, are sexually harassed at work, have their tax returns audited, join cult religions, get pregnant out of wedlock, and picket adult bookstores?all before lunch. Their experiences and problems give us a clear, contemporary, and entertaining window on the legal system. Great care is taken to choose headings and formats that make the material accessible. The illustrative anecdotes about the Goodfriends are interspersed with boxes of text that feature a seminal court case on the issue in question or that elaborate on a particular point of law. Lists of state insurance departments, state bar associations, a glossary, and the U.S. Constitution are helpful inclusions. Surprisingly, the book lacks a bibliography, but it is otherwise rather well done. Libraries that own the revised edition of You and the Law (Publications International Ltd., 1993) or Joseph Mierzwa's The 21st Century Family Legal Guide (LJ 9/1/94) may not need this, but it is recommended for those looking for a family guide to the law.?Joan Pedzich, Harris Beach & Wilcox, Rochester, N.Y.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
The gang at Court TV, not content to monopolize your viewing time during the ongoing O. J. trial, have thoughtfully prepared this weighty tome describing every foreseeable legal conundrum a citizen in our wonderfully litigious society might encounter and just what to do about it. And it must be admitted that the book is well written and beautifully organized--a very handy resource, not to mention the kind of thing just about everybody will, unfortunately, need at one time or another. Its tone is conversational, the Latin minimal, the advice seemingly sound, and best of all, its manner of presentation is interesting. For instance, amid discussion of a suspect's rights is an insertion headed "Who Was This Guy Miranda?" which explains the derivation of the term Miranda rights. Though the law and the intricacies of legal rights and liabilities are hardly the usual stuff of recreational reading, this book--like Court TV's programming--makes the law entertaining as well as informative. Mike Tribby
