Regardless of what we do, paper and forms are a huge part of our lives. Some are simple and others complex. Others seem unnecessary, while certain documents are worth more than you imagine at certain times and during certain circumstances. For anyone who wants to get started with form writing, the book “101 Law Forms for Personal Use” by attorney Ralph Warner and Robin Leonad is a helpful reference.
Nolo prides itself on making the law accessible to everyone. Nolo’s law books are written in plain language and help non-lawyers with many areas of legal advice. And while no book is a substitute for a licensed attorney, there are many cases where all a person really needs is the information contained in a book. We must trust that the individual will know when the book is not enough and an attorney should be consulted.
This text has to do with shapes. The introduction discusses how to use the book. There are sections on completing contracts and forms, editing forms, describing people, property, and events, signing forms, resolving disputes, and a brief summary of whether you need a lawyer. It is a short chapter with brief general advice about the book.
One thing a person could do is use this book to gain an advantage and then have an attorney review it to make sure nothing was 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 estate planning. 5 forms including Property Worksheet, Beneficiary Worksheet and Basic Wills.
3. Things to do after death: Documents for executors. Request for Death Certificate, Notification to Creditor of Death, Executor Checklist and others. 7 in all.
4. Rent a Place to Live. Forms such as Apartment Search Service Checklist, Landlord-Tenant Agreement to Terminate Lease, Landlord-Tenant Checklist, Notice of Needed Repairs, and others. 9 shapes 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, Cosigner Provision, and Demand for Past Due Payment.
6. Buy a house. Included in this chapter are forms such as the Idea Home Profile, Home Comparison Worksheet, and Mortgage Rates and Terms Worksheet, which contains 7 forms in all.
7. Buying or selling a car, dog, or other personal property. 5 ways. Deeds of sale of motor vehicles, boats, computer systems, in general, and dogs.
8. Leasing of personal property and storage of property. 3 forms consisting of Movable Property Lease Agreement, Notice of Termination and Storage Agreement.
9. Home repair and maintenance. 3 forms consisting of the Home Maintenance Agreement, Home Repair Agreement, and Contractor Mid-Job 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 Charge Dispute.
11. Treatment of spam and telemarketing calls. 5 ways. They include: notice to remove name from list, log of telemarketing phone calls, and claim for damages for excessive calls.
12. Hiring child care, elder care or domestic help. 4 forms in this chapter. They include: Child Care Agreement and Instructions, and Elder Care Agreement.
13. Coexistence. Forms include Agreement to Maintain Separate Property, Agreement for Joint Purchase, and Declaration of Change of Legal Name. 4 shapes in all.
14. Resolution of legal disputes. There are 10 forms in this chapter, ranging from a demand letter to various communications. One thing I would definitely recommend is that a person consult with an attorney before signing any release.
15. Miscellaneous forms for personal use. The final 6 forms in this book include: letter of complaint, notice of insurance claim, notice to cancel certain contracts, and an identity theft worksheet, among others.
The book also comes with a CD-ROM containing all the forms, and the appendices include instructions on how to use the CD-ROM and how to tear out 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. However, others will be quite useful. It’s not that expensive of a book, especially with the included CD-ROM, so if you need a legal form reference, it’s not a bad thing to have on the shelf to help you with drafting documents when the time comes when you need them.