Regardless of what we do, paper and forms are a big part of our life. Some are simple and some are complex. Others seem unnecessary, while certain documents are worth more than you can imagine at certain times and during certain circumstances. For anyone who wants a form-writing edge, Attorney Ralph Warner and Robin Leonad’s book “101 Legal Forms for Personal Use” is a helpful reference.
Nolo prides itself on making the law accessible to everyone. Nolo’s law books are written in plain English and help non-lawyers with many areas of legal advice. And while no book can substitute for a licensed attorney, there are many cases where all a person really needs is the information in a book. We must trust that the person will know when the book is not enough and an attorney should be consulted.
This text is about shapes. The introduction is about how to use the book. There are sections on how to complete the contracts and forms, edit the forms, describe people, properties, and events, sign the forms, resolve disputes, and a brief summary of whether you need an attorney. It is a short chapter with brief general tips about the book.
One thing a person could do is use this book to get started and then have an attorney review it to make sure nothing has been missed and that it complies with local statutes and regulations.
The forms are divided into fifteen categories or chapters and those categories are:
1. Delegation of authority for the care of children, pets and property. The forms in this chapter include: Authorization for Medical Treatment of Minors, Pet Care Agreement, Power of Attorney for Real Estate, and more. 10 forms in total.
2. Basic wealth planning. 5 forms including property worksheet, beneficiary worksheet and basic wills.
3. What to do after death: documents for executors. Application for Death Certificate, Notice to the Creditor of Death, Verification List of the Executor and others. 7 in total.
4. Rent a place to live. Forms such as Apartment Finding Service Checklist, Landlord-Tenant Agreement to Rescind Lease, Landlord-Tenant Checklist, Notice of Repairs Needed, and others. 9 forms in total in this chapter.
5. Borrow and lend money. There are 16 forms in this chapter, including forms such as: Loan Comparison Worksheet, Promissory Notes, Co-signer Provision, and Demand for Payment Due.
6. Buy a house. Included in this chapter are forms such as the Idea House Profile, the Home Comparison Worksheet, and the Mortgage Rates and Terms Worksheet that contains 7 forms in total.
7. Buy or sell a car, dog, or other personal property. 5 ways. Invoices of sale of motor vehicles, boat, computer system, general and canine.
8. Rental of movable property and storage of property. 3 forms consisting of Personal Property Rental Agreement, Notice of Termination and Storage Agreement.
9. Home repairs and maintenance. 3 forms consisting of Home Maintenance Agreement, Home Repair Agreement, and Mid-Job Contractor Worksheet.
10. Management of personal finances. There are 11 forms in this chapter and they include: Daily Expenses, Monthly Income, Assignment of Rights, Credit Check Request, and Credit Card Dispute Fee.
11. Handling spam and telemarketing calls. 5 ways. They include: Notice to Remove Name from List, Telemarketing Phone Call Log, and Excess Call Damages Claim.
12. Hiring of child care, elderly care or domestic help. 4 forms in this chapter. These include: Child Care Agreement and Instructions and Elder Care Agreement.
13. Living together. The forms include Agreement to Keep Separate Property, Agreement for a Joint Purchase, and Statement of Legal Name Change. 4 shapes in total.
14. Solution of legal controversies. There are 10 forms in this chapter and they range from a demand letter to various releases. One thing that I would definitely recommend is that a person consult with an attorney before signing any authorizations.
15. Various forms for personal use. The last 6 forms in this book include: Complaint Letter, Insurance Claim Notice, Notice to Cancel Certain Contracts, and an Identity Theft Worksheet, among others.
The book also comes with a CD-ROM that contains all the forms and the appendices include instructions on how to use the CD-ROM and how to start up and fill out the blank forms.
This is a useful reference, but I think a lot of people will never use many of the forms found here. Others, however, will be of great help. It’s not that expensive of a book, especially with the included CD-ROM, so if you need a legal form reference, it’s okay to have it on the shelf to help you draft documents when the time comes when you need them.
