Utah State Law Library

Issues related to military servicemembers continue to impact legal proceedings, from service and stays to child custody and temporary orders. That's why the Law Library has recently added these two books to the collection.

For a general overview of the protections and rights provided by the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), check out the American Bar Association's publication, The Judge Advocate General's School Guide to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. This excellent and brief guide includes analysis of general provisions, procedural protections, and specific explanations of taxation, voting rights and financial protections. It also includes analysis of the Act's specific provisions on evictions, leases, installment contracts, and mortgages. Each section provides citations to pertinent case law. The authors also highlight terms that may be ambiguous, as certain terms have been interpreted in various ways in different jurisdictions.

For a detailed examination of divorce-specific issues that arise when a servicemember is a party, check out Mark E. Sullivan's The Military Divorce Handbook: A Practical Guide to Representing Military Personnel and Their Families. This practical manual has a wealth of information on parent time, custody, and alimony issues that may arise during a military divorce. Also includes a sample motion for stay under SCRA and domicile checklist for servicemembers and spouses. Includes a CD-ROM with sample language and forms.

Posted by Mari Cheney at 07:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We have just received the 9th edition of Black's Law Dictionary.

A legal dictionary can help you decipher confusing legal terms, which can often seem like a different language. In fact, many legal terms are taken from Latin, which is a different language!

The oldest legal dictionary in our law library is A Dictionary of American and English law: with defintions of the technical terms of the canon and civil laws. Also, containing a full collection of Latin Maxims, and citations of upwards of forty thousand reported cases in which words and phrases have been judicially defined or construed by Stewart Rapalje and Robert L. Lawrence, published in 1888.

Posted by Jessica Van Buren at 08:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We've just received A Companion to the United States Constitution and Its Amendments, which provides explanations, historical background, and case citations to the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, and subsequent Amendments.

For example, when discussing the sixth amendment, author John R. Vile points out that while the Sixth Amendment provides for a speedy and public trial, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to precisely define what speedy meant. After the case (Barker v. Wingo) Congress passed the Speedy Trial Act of 1974, providing for precise time frames for a "speedy trial" that the federal government must follow. If you're interested in the original text only, the appendix material includes the full text of the U.S. Constitution, Amendments, the Declaration of Independence, and the Articles of Confederation.

In addition to providing explanations for individual sections of the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Amendments, Vile includes 50 leading U.S. Supreme Court cases interpreting the Constitution; a glossary; highlights of Constitutional history; and a list of U.S. Supreme Court justices.

Posted by Mari Cheney at 08:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We've just received the 10th edition of Criminal Law Handbook.

This Nolo book covers topics including talking to the police, search and seizure, arrest, eyewitness identification, book and bail, criminal defense lawyers, criminal court, arraignments, discovery, fundamental trial rights, basic evidence rules, plea bargains, sentencing, appeals, juvenile courts and prisoners' rules.

Our Law Books for Non-Lawyers handout lists other self-help books we have in the library.

Many public libraries carry Nolo titles - check your local library catalog to see if they have this or other books written for non-lawyers.

Posted by Jessica Van Buren at 03:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We've just received the latest edition of The Employer's Legal Handbook.

This Nolo book covers topics including hiring, personnel practices, wages and hours, employee benefits, taxes, family and medical leave, health and safety, illegal discrimination, workers with disabilities, termination, employee privacy, independent contractors, and unions.

Our Law Books for Non-Lawyers handout lists other self-help books we have in the library.

Many public libraries carry Nolo titles - check your local library catalog.

Posted by Jessica Van Buren at 07:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We've just received the latest edition of Every Tenant''s Legal Guide.

This Nolo book provides an overview the rights and responsibilities of tenants.

Our Law Books for Non-Lawyers handout lists other self-help books we have in the library.

Posted by Jessica Van Buren at 01:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We've just received the latest edition of Make Your Own Living Trust.

This Nolo book provides an overview of living trusts, answers some common questions and discusses issues such as choosing what property to put in the trust, who to name as trustee, and how to choose beneficiaries.

Our Law Books for Non-Lawyers handout lists other self-help books we have in the library.

Posted by Jessica Van Buren at 01:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The American Bar Association has published a self-help book called "Legal Guide for Americans Over 50." The topics range in subject from grandparents' rights and estate planning to health benefits and elder abuse. Each of the 16 chapters provide general information about legal issues that may interest the 50+ population and provide scenarios and Q&As with elder law attorneys to illustrate the topics.

At the end of each chapter, you'll find additional resources about each topic, including links to websites. For example, at the end of the grandparents' rights chapter, there are links to the Grandparent Information Center at the American Association of Retired Persons, Generations United's National Center on Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Children, and the National Eldercare Locator.

Posted by Mari Cheney at 09:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Sometimes winning your court case is only half the battle. Sometimes it's equally challenging to collect your judgment from the other side.

The law library has just purchased a book called Collect Your Judgment in 5 Easy Steps by Adrienne M. McMillan that provides some guidance. The book is not Utah-specific so not all procedures will be available to a Utah litigant, but it is written in plain language so you don't have be a lawyer to understand the information.

You'll also find information on this topic on the court's How to Collect a Judgment page.

Posted by Jessica Van Buren at 01:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We have just received the four-volume 2008 edition of the Laws of Utah, a compilation of our state's session laws enacted during the 2008 legislative session published in chronological order. Session laws are ultimately incorporated into the Utah Code.

Utah's session laws are also available on the Utah Legislature's website (1998-present). From the Legislature's website:

• Select Bills / Passed Bills
• Select the legislative session
• Click on “Chapter” to sort that column by session law number

Posted by Jessica Van Buren at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We have just received the latest edition of Family Law in Utah by Karen Black, et al.

This substantial book (2.5" thick) covers a wide range of Utah family law topics including marriage, property rights, divorce, annulment, separate maintenance, alimony, child support, child custody, modification and adoption.

Posted by Jessica Van Buren at 08:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We've received the latest edition of Neighbor Law: Fences, Trees, Boundaries & Noise.

This Nolo book covers common problems people have with their neighbors, including fences, trees and noise (as the subtitle suggests) as well as animal problems, vehicles, trash, drug dealers and outdoor lights.

Our Law Books for Non-Lawyers handout lists other self-help books we have in the library.

Posted by Jessica Van Buren at 01:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This Nolo publication is useful for anyone interested in the bankruptcy laws that were passed in 2005. The author discusses how the new bankruptcy laws affect someone's eligibility to file for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy and provides a number of sample forms and worksheets. This book can help you determine what assets you can keep even after you have filed for bankruptcy, and the steps and costs involved.

This title and a variety of other Nolo books are located on the front counter of the library.

Posted by Mari Cheney at 04:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)