Nolo Press, one of the country's foremost publishers of self-help law books and software, was established in 1971 by two Legal Aid lawyers who decided they wanted to deliver affordable legal information and advice. It was a revolutionary concept, indeed. These two innovators believed that many Americans would be capable of handling their own common legal problems without the aid of an attorney if the tides were turned -- if attorneys no longer were the gatekeepers of legal information, and if Americans were armed with plain-English literature on the law.

It's not hard to understand why the mission was successful. Today, Nolo Press publishes more than 120 self-help law titles in a variety of media -- books, software, legal forms, audio tapes and video tapes -- and has more than 5 million copies in print. The company maintains a team of 12 in-house lawyers who oversee the direction of the company's products, all written in layman's terms.

In addition, Nolo Press has a helpful Web site that helps Americans wade through legal jargon and get down to the facts. The site contains a variety of feature stories, as well as a "Legal Encyclopedia" that covers a myriad of topics and legal situations, including landlords & tenants; real estate; small business; wills & estate planning; employment; consumer; patent, copyright & tradmark; debt & credit; courts & mediation; legal research; tax problems; and more.

The site currently contains a feature about the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants. In order to gather research for that article, Nolo Press staff surveyed landlords and tenants and asked them to describe the best and worst aspects of their roles. The article reveals that repairs and maintenance were on the top of the list for both landlords and tenants. This insightful article gives you the full details, including personal accounts from both sides, and along the right-hand side of the page, lists a series of additional articles about landlord and tenant issues, for example: landlord deadlines for itemizing and returning security deposits, a user's guide to important leasing terms, and more.

The legal dictionary's "Real Estate" link contains sections about buying a house, selling a house, home security and prevention, and neighbor law. Selecting any one of these categories delivers yet more options; for example, the neighbor law link includes advice on volume/noise; rural neighbors and the right to farm; water issues; and attractive nuisances and dangers to children. The section about noise levels doesn't just ladle out the usual advice about making nice with your inconsiderate neighbor. Instead, you're provided with tips to deciper how much is too much when it comes to noise levels; how to measure decibels yourself; and when and when not to sue. The sections about buying and selling a house cover such topics as "Is it possible to sell a house without a real estate broker or agent?" and "Working with a real estate agent." You'll also find advice about homeowners' associations, seller disclosures, house inspections and more.

When you're done reading through this handy archive of legal advice, you may order software online, search the site's online store for "legal takeout," sign up for Nolo's free online newsletter, or test your knowledge on the subject of impeachment (the site contains an online quiz). An "educators" link at the bottom of the Nolo Press home page recommends various Nolo titles for classroom use. The link covers typical college subjects and points out helpful Nolo titles for each. The educators link also contains a "faculty lounge" where instructors can play "SharkTalk" ("Hangman with a bite," the site warns), peruse the site's legal word archive, check out the legal dictionary or download Nolo's quarterly newsletter.

Can you imagine a group of lawyers who make fun of themselves? That's exactly what the in-house team of lawyers at Nolo Press does. The Nolo Press Web site contains a "jokes" link that allows you to select your desired category of lawyer joke -- lawyers in love, doctors and lawyers, lawyer-bashing through the ages, and lawyers as dummies, for example -- and get a few laughs. Hey, we're not laughing at you; we're laughing with you.

The Nolo Press Web site will turn any American into an informed and empowered consumer. The site does an excellent job of returning the power of the law to the people it was designed to help ... all for much, much less than the cost of an hour's visit to an attorney. Real estate law, in particular, is an often perplexing area for consumers to interpret. This site is your best bet for becoming educated on the subject. Head to Nolo Press online before your next home purchase, home sale or rental transaction, and arm yourself with the facts first.

Published: November 10, 1998

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.