NOLO - LAW for ALL
Our Mission
Nolo's mission is to help consumers and small businesses find answers to their everyday legal and business questions.
What We Do
We provide information and tools that help people from all walks of life resolve their legal issues.
The Nolo Network
With Nolo.com and area-of-law-focused sites like DivorceNet.com, DisabilitySecrets.com, and CriminalDefenseLawyer.com, the Nolo Network is one of the web's largest libraries of consumer-friendly legal information, all of which is available for free.
DIY Legal Products
Consumers and small business owners can handle many legal matters themselves with Nolo's do-it-yourself products, which range from online forms and software to books. All are drafted in plain English, with A-to-Z coverage that helps you get the job done.
Lawyer Resources
We at Nolo believe accurate, plain-English legal information can help people solve many of their legal issues. But we know that sometimes there's no substitute for individualized guidance from a professional, so our sites offer easy ways to get in touch with attorneys.
Editorial Standards
Since its founding in 1971, Nolo's mission has been to demystify the law for everyday people so they can find answers to their legal questions and make informed decisions. To that end, we offer an extensive library of free and professionally written and edited legal articles.
The following standards and practices guide our publishing.
100% Original Work (Never AI-Generated)
Our content is originally researched, written, and edited by human beings. Appreciating the substantial risk of hallucinations and other legal errors, we do not publish AI-generated content.
Written, Edited, and Fact-Checked by Professionals
All Nolo content contributors hold demonstrated expertise in their areas of focus. The overwhelming majority of our writers and editors have graduated from law school to earn a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree and have passed the bar exam in at least one state. Any who don't have a J.D. instead have credentials in another relevant area—for example, a Master of Science in Library and Information Science or certification in a field like tax or real estate.
Our team of in-house attorney editors has over 100 years of combined experience practicing law. Our editors have worked in a wide array of legal areas, from estate planning to criminal law to business formation and beyond. Each article that we publish has been written or reviewed by one of these professionals.
Accuracy and Transparency
Our first and utmost goal at Nolo is accuracy. That's why, before writing for us, our contributors must prove that they are both experienced in the law and reliable when translating it into plain language. It's also why we work only from research sources that are reliable and authoritative and are constantly updating our content for changes in the law that impact our readers. And, in those instances where we become aware of an error, we immediately address it.
We also insist on being transparent with our readers about their options for resolving their legal matters, even if that means not purchasing a product from Nolo or connecting with attorneys through our website. We believe in serving the reader, and that includes candidly addressing whether people in similar situations might be able to handle their legal issues on their own.
Not a Substitute for Advice From an Attorney
Nolo's content educates readers about the law rather than telling them specifically what to do in their individual circumstances. We believe that well-informed people are in a better position to resolve their legal issues, whether by hiring a lawyer, purchasing a product or service, or handling things on their own. The information we provide is not legal advice and doesn't create an attorney-client or other confidential relationship.
Our History
Nolo was born of the frustration of two legal aid lawyers who were working to help low-income families in the San Francisco Bay area in the late 1960s. They found there was no way to help all the working people who didn’t qualify for free legal aid yet couldn’t afford lawyers.
In 1971, to help fill the need they had identified, Charles Sherman wrote a book about doing your own divorce and Ralph Warner authored one on tenants’ rights. They took the books to established publishers, who promptly rejected them. Warner and Sherman decided they had no alternative but to publish the books themselves—and so Nolo Press was created.
By the early 1980s Nolo was publishing books covering just about all areas of law, empowering everyday people to take control of their legal situations. As the decade progressed, Nolo started publishing do-it-yourself legal software, including Quicken WillMaker.
In 1994, Nolo created one of the first consumer-oriented legal websites, offering tons of free legal information. The company later added online document preparation and downloadable versions of Nolo books and software.
In 2005, Nolo launched a lawyer directory, to help people when they encountered situations that required professional help. Readers who otherwise would have had to thumb through the yellow pages were now able to easily search for, learn about, and connect with attorneys who handled their type of legal issue.
Throughout our history, the goal has been clear: Give people good information and let them make their own choices.
