With new and updated information and an additional chapter Canadians live by the rule of law. In theory, we are all equally governed by the law and we all have equal access to our justice system, but in practice, says Toronto lawyer Michael Cochrane, we don't know enough about our legal rights and obligations. We fear the court system because of its slowness and its cost. And we put off or muddle through important things like Wills and contracts because we don't want to pay for a lawyer to help us. We don't really know what the law is until we are in danger of breaking it. There are situations when we need legal information, however, and Michael Cochrane's book will help you to know what questions to ask and what steps you should take to safeguard your legal rights and carry out your legal obligations. The second edition of the popular Strictly Legal, the book is divided into eleven chapters, each explaining ten things you absolutely need to know about an area of Canadian law, including hiring a lawyer, contracts, real estate transactions, criminal law, wills and estates, employment law, and intellectual property protection. As the host of the BNN TV show Strictly Legal, Michael Cochrane answered thousands of questions from average Canadians about our laws, and he brings that same talent for making complex issues understandable to this book. With new and updated material, this book brings current Canadian law into focus for every reader. New information includes: a list of helpful websites and other resources; the latest information on fast-changing areas of law such as Family Law and Privacy Law; an overview of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, with an emphasis on the ways it affects our everyday lives.

Author Biography

Michael G. Cochrane LL.B. has been practicing law in Ontario for over 27 years. He hosts a weekly half-hour program on BNN (formerly ROBTv) called Strictly Legal. This is his fourth book about Canadian law.