Product Description: Stepparents and domestic partners can adopt a child in California without a lawyer, and Do Your Own Adoption in California shows you how. Packed with plain-English information and instructions, it's the only book available that takes adopting parents through the entire process, one step at a time...read more

Make a difference in the life of a child-- become a legal guardian! Thousands of children in California need legal guardians because their parents have died, abandoned them or are otherwise unable to care for them. The Guardianship Book for California provides everything you need to obtain a legal guardianship without a lawyer. Get the tools you need to: decide whether to obtain a legal guardianship find out if you are eligible to enroll a minor in school and make medical decisions without becoming a legal guardian use alternate forms if a legal guardianship is not practical obtain a guardianship for finances or for personal and physical care of a minor, or both prepare, file and have guardianship papers served appear before a judge obtain a temporary guardianship in an urgent situation deal with institutions and agencies -- with or without a guardianship -- schools, medical facilities, insurance companies, public assistance agencies and more end a guardianship The 7th edition is completely updated with the latest laws, and includes all the necessary forms and instructions for becoming a legal guardian in California.

Product Description: All the tools and information you need to successfully present and win your case in small claims court. The only guide to Small Claims Court that provides tips by former judges, Everybody's Guide to Small Claims Court helps you bring or defend your small claims suit without a lawyer...read more

Product Description: The complete guide to changing your name in California! Divorce, complicated spelling, tricky pronunciation, personal preference -- there are lots of reasons to change a name. And though the rules have changed recently, it's still a relatively straightforward procedure in the Golden State...read more

The ultimate guide to the past, present, and future of same-sex relationship laws in the U.S. Same-sex relationships are treated differently under each state's laws, and more than a quarter of the U.S. population lives in a state with some form of legal recognition for same-sex couples. More than 100,000 same-sex couples have married. Making It Legal is the only book that offers a comprehensive review of all the issues that influence the decision to marry and breaks down the complex and ever-changing rules of same-sex relationship laws. This book provides guidance on important issues that same-sex married couples may face: - Is a pre-nup advisable? What does it involve? - What happens when you want to file your taxes? - When is a will or a living trust needed? - What are the special needs of same-sex couples with kids? - When should you turn to professionals for help during disagreements? - How do you work with step-parents, past partners, and the blended family? Nationally recognized same-sex relationship law expert Attorney Frederick Hertz and Attorney Emily Doskow have written the ultimate guide to the ultimate decision -- whether to enter into a marriage or other legal relationship with your same-sex partner. Since the first edition was published, numerous changes have taken place across the country. Some states have legalized same-sex marriage, and others have passed laws stating that they will acknowledge same-sex marriages from other states. This edition is updated to account for these changes in state laws and projects additional changes likely to happen in the future.

Thoroughly revised and updated, a valuable resource for gay and lesbian couples explains how to obtain domestic-partner benefits, plan for medical emergencies, purchase property together, inheritance rights, and the practical and legal aspects of having and raising children, along with a new section on the laws of states offering an equivalent to marriage. Original.

Protect your rights -- protect your relationship! Now more than ever, it's important that you take the proper legal steps to define and protect your relationship in the eyes of the law. If you don't, you run the risk of being shut out of each other's lives -- and the lives of children you co-parent -- in times of medical, financial or personal crisis. This practical, plain-English guide shows lesbian and gay couples how to: make practical decisions about living together obtain domestic partner benefits make medical decisions for each other when needed take care of each other's finances when one partner is incapacitated leave property to each other have and raise children through adoption, donor insemination, surrogacy or foster parenting This edition is updated with a discussion of the laws of each state offering either marriage or marriage-equivalent status, covers all the new state laws in recent months, and discusses the pros and cons of entering into a marriage or like relationship.