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"Sixty percent of bankruptcies and seventy-five percent of divorces in California are done without lawyers," according to Do It Yourself Documents, a self-help legal book and kit retailer. With the availability of so many quality self-help legal resources today, it has never been easier to handle your own legal matter. I will tell you what self-help resources are available and how to use them.

Although the information I am about to give you is based on research and experience, always remember that only a lawyer is qualified to give you sound legal advice. I am not a lawyer, but I have worked extensively in this field. Use any of the products and services I mention here at your own risk.

You have several choices when trying to handle a legal matter without a lawyer. You can do the matter entirely on your own with a self-help book or kit; you can handle the matter with aid from an independent paralegal or legal assistance program; you can handle the matter through a program such as Pre-Paid Legal Services.

Self-Help Books and Kits

The market is saturated with self-help legal books and kits. Which ones can you trust? HALT, an organization of Americans for legal reform, has reviewed many popular self-help guides. On their website, you can find their "Do It Yourself Best Buys" (http://www.halt.org/lic/pdf/D IY-best_buy.PDF). In general, I will save you time and tell you HALT repeatedly recommends products from Nolo Press (http://www.nolo.com). All of Nolo's books and software are created by lawyers and are updated constantly. I also recommend products from Alpha Publications (http://www.alphapublications. com). I do not recommend products from Info America or similar publishers.

Kits and books you want to stay away from are those that are not updated frequently and not written by experts. Make sure the book or kit has a help-line from the publisher you can call if you need assistance. Also, does the kit/book include the forms you need? Does the kit/book have a CD-Rom so you can type the forms on your computer? Remember, you get what you pay for.

Before you buy anything; however, I recommend you check your state court system's website because many states provide both forms and basic instructions for free. For a complete list of state-specific resources, try doityourselfdocuments.com. On the left side of their homepage, find your state on the drop down menu, then scroll to the bottom of the page for your state.

If there is a state-specific version of the kit or book you want,

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