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Wire Service
"Web Spells Out Letter of LawQ: What's wrong with lawyer jokes?A: Lawyers don't think they're funny and nobody else thinks they're jokes.There's some truth to the notion that everybody picks on lawyers. (If you don't believe it, pay a visit to www.lawyer-jokes.com/us.) But the fact is, just about everyone needs some legal advice now and then. Although nothing beats face-to-face interaction when you've got a problem, there are plenty of Web sites that can help.One site that caught my attention is LegalMatch (www.legalmatch.com). The mission here is to match someone who needs legal assistance with an attorney who is both qualified and willing to provide it. You submit a legal question or case online, and LegalMatch forwards it to member attorneys in your region. Only your question -- not your identity -- is submitted. Then, lawyers willing to help respond, stating how they can help and providing their rates and other relevant information. The decision of who to contact personally (or not) is up you. There's no charge, by the way, for submitting a question.One of the best-known sites is FindLaw (www.findlaw.com), a treasure trove of information for the general public, businesses and legal professionals alike. For other suggestions, I asked my son -- a June cum laude graduate of The University of Akron School of Law. He agreed, but only if I promised to point out that Web sites offer only legal information, not advice. The difference between the two could be costly in more ways than one.That said, he recommends Westlaw (www.westlaw) and Lexis (www.lexis.com), but notes that both require paid subscriptions. Nolo Press, on the other hand, bills itself as "Everyday Law for Everyday People" (www.nolo.com). A quick check of the site found volumes of free information, including a legal encyclopedia and dictionary, financial calculators, news, articles on specific topics such as wills and estate planning, and links to federal, state, local and small claims courts nationwide.Another site Scott favors is the Legal Information Institute at Cornell University (www.law.cornell.edu). This one is a bit more technical -- you'll find links to major court decisions. Everything here is free, although visitors are begged for a donation on just about every page.Back on my own, I found ExpertLaw (www.expertlaw.com), a legal portal that links up with other sites and offers a library of articles on lots of topics. If it's a last will and testament you need, try BuildaWill (www.buildawill.com), where you can create a customized will online for $19.95. Or there's Legalzoom.com, which offers access to several legal documents prepared, based on your input, online. Costs depend on the type of document; at press time, a standard will cost $59."