It won't happen to me.

I'm too busy to worry about a living will.

My family will know what to do.

No one wants to plan for death or incapacitating illness. But, as the emotional legal battle in the Terri Schiavo case made all too clear, people of all ages need to document and communicate clear decisions about the final details of their lives while they are healthy and have time to fully consider their own values and preferences.

Here, Drs. David Doukas and William Reichel help individuals make decisions and communicate their wishes to health care providers and family members and other loved ones.

Drs. Doukas and Reichel use a question-and-answer format to guide readers through the process -- emphasizing the crucial connection between values and treatment preferences. They explain advance directives and the health care decision-making process, including the values history, family covenants, proxies, and proxy negation. The appendix includes resources and Web links for learning about advance directive requirements and obtaining legal forms in all fifty states.

This practical guide helps people navigate the important but often intimidating process of thinking about, and planning for, an uncertain future.

Since 2010, Singapore citizens and permanent residents have been encouraged to utilise the Lasting Power of Attorney, otherwise known as the LPA, to protect their interests but many in Singapore are still uncertain or unaware about it. Unfortunately, less than 2% of Singaporeans have done an LPA. This book seeks to encourage more people to do the LPA by explaining in clear terms how you can complete the LPA Form 1. Not just a book about the what and how, it first sets out its importance, why it is needed and the dire consequences of not having one. It also dispels myths and misconceptions about LPAs. The book provides interesting cases studies of real-life situations to illustrate the function of the LPA and contains references to other countries and how the LPA and equivalents operate in those jurisdictions.

A solid reference for both the everyday and the unexpected legal issues, written by practicing attorneys

Law 101 is an essential reference that explains: How laws are made How the court system works How each area of the law impacts your daily life

Key information for important questions: How does a lawsuit begin? How do civil and criminal law differ? When do state laws trump federal laws? What makes a contract solid? What can you expect if called as a juror? What can you expect if called as a witness? And other complex areas of the law that you need to know.

No home reference shelf is complete without this indispensible guide. The new edition also includes information on legal subjects that have become more important recently, including alternative dispute resolution, privacy rights, and Internet law.

The Law Machine demystifies the procedures, customs and controversies of the English legal system.

Marcel Berlins and Clare Dyer explain and discuss how the system evolved and how it has been changing, the way it operates - including vivid descriptions of the trial process - and how lawyers work. At every stage they ask: is the English legal system as good as we have the right to expect?

Now completely revised and updated for this fifth edition, The Law Machine surveys recent developments in the workings of the machinery of justice and the outlook for the future. The authors show how the legal establishment has tried to adopt a more open, modern approach. At the same time, far-reaching and controversial changes to the system promise better access to justice for all, but will they achieve that aim?

Self-defense, as a legal concept, is easy to describe but difficult to apply. Generally, a person who is without fault may use reasonable force or defensive force for the purpose of defending one's own life or the lives of others, including, in certain circumstances, the use of deadly force, provided there is no reasonable alternative to avoid it. When someone begins to parse the words of this description, however, he or she runs immediately into a maze of self-defense laws that appear to be at odds with each other. Bruce Lawlor clears up the confusion by identifying the major issues that surface in most self-defense cases and by describing how the law has dealt with them historically. Its purpose is not to provide legal advice, but to illuminate the path that must be taken to decide whether a claim of self-defense is valid. It examines a variety of issues, including the duty to retreat and stand-your ground laws, what is a deadly threat, when is fear of mortal danger reasonable, and even what happens when a person mistakenly shoots some in self-defense. When Deadly Force Is Involved: A Look at the Legal Side of Stand Your Ground, Duty to Retreat and Other Questions of Self-Defense brings a bit of order to the confusion behind self-defense.