Emily Doskow

The Legal Answer Book for Families is a great starting point for orienting yourself to how the legal aspects of your relationships with your significant other, parents, children, or exes. It lays out the basics in plain language, gives you an idea of when you need to go to another source for more detailed information or professional assistance, and gives clear pointers to where to go next, including specific information for the 50 states and DC. Nolo's website serves as a companion to the show more book, with update, further details, and basic document templates and software.

Of particular importance to the Gay Alliance library is the book's consistently inclusive approach. Its language never presupposes a "Leave It to Beaver" style family unit. Specifically, each relevant chapter addresses how LGBT couples and families may particularly be affected.

With chapters on marriage; divorce; children and child custody, support, and adoption; elder care; estate planning; and when and how to engage a lawyer, there is something useful for any reader. It's not so much a reference book as a source of friendly, knowledgable advice that can give you direction and confidence in dealing with the law at life events. It's worth a read first to explain all those things no one ever explained to you. Then it will be a great place to turn when you begin or end a long-term relationship, gain a child, lose a loved one, begin to assume responsibilities for your parents, change your assets, or any number of others of life's mileposts. show less

This book attempts to cover too many things in too few pages. According to the cover, this work is attempting to cover ALL of the following topics: adoption, guardianships, domestic partnerships, teenagers, child support, elder care, marriage, bullying, name change, inheritance, tax breaks, and divorce. In the first 208 pages (non-appendices) it appears to do just that, but in such a cursory manner as to be barely useful. For example, in Chapter 7, "Elder Care," the subsection on "Paying for show more Residential Facility Care (pp. 167-168) is four brief paragraphs. The first sentence falls under "no, duh" as it states: "Residential care is expensive."

Nolo Press already has publications that cover some of these issues in appropriate, and more useful, depth, such as individual works on: divorce; parenting agreements; living together; and prenuptial agreements.

The 150 pages of appendices cover the rules and resources for marriage, divorce, and child custody and support, for each U.S. state. Most of this information could have been compiled in briefer tables. E.g., for each state there are sections for "Same-sex marriage" and "Community property." In almost all cases the section consists of either the word "Yes" or the word "No."

For each state section in the appendix, the part labeled "State and federal statutes" appears to consist of the same four links (one to Nolo, one to Cornell University, one to justia.com, and my favorite, "www.usa.gov: Federal government site"). This same subsection, these same four links, are repeated exactly 50 times. This appears to be some rather egregious padding.

The only two uses to which I can see this book are (1) as a basic low-level directory to some state based legal and administrative services, and (2) as a historic record of United States laws in the same areas, and the broadest ones at that. show less

(by Jane): This is a very well written and organized book about sharing and community building to best meet the triple bottom line of personal, environmental, and financial goals. Many chapters include sidebars about how businesses, nonprofits, community leaders, and developers can help encourage these practices. Of note are chapter 4 (meetings and mediation), Ch 6 (house sharing, including a list for tenants in common), Ch 7 (sharing groups - (household goods, purchases, & tasks), & Ch 8 show more (sharing food (coops, meal exchanges, potlucks). Also included is an extensive reference list and worksheets to get started. show less

I'm an attorney by trade and I usually keep Nolo books in my library to help my clients. This is a great book in terms of giving an overview to a lot of very common issues faced by families. Nolo does a lot of excellent guides; books that go into detail or step by step walkthroughs of legal self help. But this book is more of a place to start, than a final answer. And that's very useful. This may sound odd, but this would make an awesome gift for any newlyweds or new parents. Highly recommended.