Introduction

• Author: Jeffrey Wilson
• Pages: ix

The Gale Encyclopedia of Everyday Law is a two-volume encyclopedia of practical information on laws and issues affecting people's everyday lives. Readers will turn to this work for help in answering questions such as, "What is involved in estate planning?" "Do I have any recourse to noisy neighbors?" and "What are the consequences of an expired visa?" This Encyclopedia aims to educate people about their rights under the law, although it is not intended as a self-help or 'do-it-yourself' legal resource. It seeks to fill the niche between legal texts focusing on the theory and history behind the law and shallower, more practical guides to dealing with the law.

This encyclopedia, written for the layperson, is arranged alphabetically by broad subject categories and presents in-depth treatments of topics such as consumer issues, education, family, immigration, real estate, and retirement. Individual entries are organized in alphabetical order within these broad subject categories, and include information on state and local laws, as well as federal laws. In entries where it is not possible to include state and local information, references direct the reader to resources for further research.

The work contains approximately 240 articles of 2,000-5,000 words each, organized within 26 broad subject categories, which are arranged alphabetically. Each article begins with a brief description of the issue's historical background, covering important statutes and cases. The body of the article is divided into subsections profiling the various U.S. federal laws and regulations concerning the topic. A third section details variations of the laws and regulations from state to state. Each article closes...