Nolo Press is familiar to many libraries and consumers as a publisher of books on legal advice and assistance for the consumer. Stating that “the Web is the greatest tool ever created for making useful, up‐to‐date legal information available to almost everyone,” Nolo Press officially changed its name in 1999 to Nolo.com to reflect this commitment to the Web. The result of the company’s efforts is a fascinating integration of traditional, paper‐bound resources (i.e. books), legal software and Web‐based information resources that must rank as the most useful source of legal information on the Web for the non‐lawyer.
The two primary sources of information at Nolo.com are the Legal Encyclopedia and Legal Dictionary sections of the site. The Dictionary states that it includes “plain‐English definitions for more than one thousand legal terms, from the common to the bizarre.” Access to the Dictionary is alphabetical browsing by letter, by links to a general topic (e.g. “Patents,” “Powers of Attorney”) or a specific word search. Within the text of a dictionary entry, there are many HTML links to other related topics or links to words with further definitions that are related. Definitions are brief, ranging from one to three paragraphs.
Access to the Legal Encyclopedia has two approaches. A word search may be executed against the text; alternatively, a detailed table of contents is provided for a more topical approach. The content of the topics covered in the Encyclopedia and the focus of the text reflect the overall emphasis of this site on consumer issues. There is excellent coverage on issues that affect consumers, such as divorce, adoption, tax problems, will and estate planning, and others. The quality of the content is excellent. I was especially struck by the article entitled “Grading teachers on copyright law ‐ videotaping for the classroom” in the section of the Encyclopedia on “Patents, copyright and trademark.” As a librarian with new responsibility for videos, I found the 1,200 word article on this topic at Nolo.com one of the best, most concise and usable discussions of practice and policy available, online or print.
While access to the Encyclopedia and Dictionary is free, Nolo.com is an interesting mix of legal information and e‐commerce. The company has a history as a print publisher, and the Web site has a Law Store where these books may be ordered and purchased online in the “traditional” manner of an Amazon.com However, the e‐commerce integration is much more extensive and developed. In addition to its books, Nolo.com has developed a series of electronic publications called eBooks, eForms, and WebForms that it sells at the site.
EBooks are complete, electronic versions of Nolo’s paperback books. Costs are similar to the paper‐based books, but users save the costs of shipping in purchasing the electronic version (but assume printing costs if printed later). In addition to electronic versions of its paper books, Nolo.com has developed a series of electronic materials and forms. These include eGuides, eForms (and collections of eForms in eForm kits) and WebForms.
According to Nolo.com eGuides are “short, single‐topic booklets in a downloadable, electronic format.” These guides may be characterized as book chapters in electronic format focused on specific topics. For example, one eGuide is titled, “Barking Dogs: Legal Ways to Stop the Noise.” The cost of these brief guides reflects their more concise approach and focus. The cost of most eGuides is approximately $8. All eGuides are in Adobe Acrobat format.
While eGuides are primarily narrative text, the site has an extensive collection of legal forms. Electronic forms are made available in two versions, eForms and WebForms. An eForm kit is a “downloadable collection of electronic forms focused on a specific issue.” The eForm kits are collections of eForms ranging from as few as two or three to as many as 15 depending on the topic. As with the eGuides, eForms are in Adobe Acrobat format.
Finally, Nolo.com offers Java‐enabled completion of Web‐based forms online. WebForms forms depend on a Java‐enabled browser. These forms permit the user to fill out relevant information online by answering a series of questions on each “interview page” as presented to the user. Information is then assembled into a file in RTF format for download and use in local word processing software.
Each of these electronic resources ‐ eGuides, eForm kits and WebForms ‐ must each be purchased for use through Nolo.com’s online store. Links to the online products are integrated throughout the information resources. Prices vary with each title, of course, but costs tend to range from as low as $8.00 to as high as $20.00.
Regardless of the quality of its information, which is excellent, it’s just hard not to like the Nolo.com Web site ‐ especially if you’re not a lawyer. It has an uncommon and well‐executed sense of humor throughout. The primary logo used throughout is a shark, for example, and one of the key features is a section called lawyer jokes. The jokes are broken down by category, such as “Lawyers and the Truth,” “Lawyers in the Woods,” etc. Each day one joke is highlighted as the joke of the day on the main home page. My personal favorite: A man died and was taken to his place of eternal torment by the devil. As he passed sulfurous pits and shrieking sinners, he saw a man he recognized as a lawyer snuggling up to a beautiful woman. “That’s unfair!” he cried. “I have to roast for all eternity, and that lawyer gets to spend it with a beautiful woman.” “Shut up,” barked the devil, jabbing him with his pitchfork. “Who are you to question that woman’s punishment?”
In summary, this site offers concise explanations of legal topics of interest to the public. The information is well written, authoritative and intended for those with no legal expertise; Nolo.com is not a site for lawyers and the conduct of in‐depth legal research. In terms of coverage, the site is limited to legal concepts that are of general interest to the public, such as consumer rights, wills, family concerns, small business issues and others. One will not find a discussion of the legal implication of the constitutionality of the death penalty, for example. Users should also be aware that while the online information available is excellent, additional information is available through the various electronic publications and forms which must be purchased online.
