Valentine's Day is a memory now, and it could even be time for a divorce. There are many self-help legal materials out there on the Web, and while they may not replace a lawyer, they can provide you with valuable background information on many legal topics in plain English.

If you and your former Valentine agree on all divorce-related issues, take a look at the Uniform Uncontested Divorce Packet http://www.courts.state.ny.us/toc-ud.htm and consider whether or not you can handle your own divorce.

On the other hand, if you and your Valentine have a strong union and you're contemplating adopting a child, take a look at the materials on adoption-adoption in New York and international adoptions-at the NY Courts & Law Guide Web site http://www.nylj.com/guide. Trouble with your landlord? Got a ticket? Bought a lemon? Need a will? Buying a house? Wondering about Medicare? Need a green card? Links to legal information on these and many other topics reside at this site, which was developed by the New York Law Journal and the New York State Unified Court System.

Definitions in plain English of specific legal terms can be found in several places on the Web, including Everybody's Law Dictionary located at the Nolo Self-Help Law Centers http://www.nolo.com/category/index.html". At this site, you'll find calculators-retirement savings, loan payment and more-in addition to a Legal Encyclopedia and answers to FAQs on a wide variety of topics, including wills and estate planning, small business, employment law, trademarks, copyrights, patents, landlord/tenant, real estate, consumer and travel, neighbors and pets, marriage and living together, divorce and child custody, debt and bankruptcy, tax and audits, immigration, lawsuits, personal injury, criminal law and cars. Nolo Press is a premier publisher of self-help law guides, which can be purchased at their online bookstore. Keep in mind that most of the Nolo books, while well-written, are not New York-law specific. Check the UB Online Catalog http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/e-resources/bison to see if the UB Law Library owns one you're interested in.

Remember, these self-help law sites do not eliminate all need for lawyers or replace legal advice. For assistance in locating a lawyer, consult lawyer referral services http://www.nylj.com/guide/#referral or directories of attorneys, such as the one at Lawyers.com http://www.lawyers.com, a Web site that also features advice on choosing an attorney, Q&As from attorneys, message boards, background information on the law and self-help links.

Whether or not you or your Valentine hire an attorney, you'll surely enjoy sipping a glass of wine together and savoring some of the lawyer jokes you found at Nolo's Lawyer Joke Emporium http://www.nolo.com/humor/jokes/index.html.