Halstonberg
consumer legal coverage

Plain-English legal explainers, deeply researched.

339 long-form guides across five practice areas — written by paralegals, reviewed by attorneys.

Why this exists

Long-form legal coverage that takes the procedure seriously.

Legal writing has a reputation problem. The stuff that's accurate tends to be impenetrable, written for other lawyers in language that takes a JD to parse. The stuff that's readable usually got readable by stripping out the procedural details that actually decide cases. Both versions assume you can't handle the real thing.

Halstonberg starts from the opposite assumption. Every guide here is written in the voice a thoughtful friend would use if they were walking you through what just happened, while the analysis underneath comes from the same sources practicing attorneys rely on. A 2,500-word guide on IRS Substitute for Returns can tell you that filing a replacement return typically cuts your liability by half, and walk you through how. A 400-word version can only tell you to call a tax attorney.

The format is long for a reason
2,500 to 3,500 words per guide. Procedure has details, and the details are usually what decide cases.
We name our sources
Every claim ties back to a statute, a case, or a form number. You can check the analysis against the underlying authority.
An attorney signs off
Every guide is reviewed by a licensed attorney before it goes live. The reviewer is named in the byline.
The guide is the product
The site doesn't run consultation pop-ups or sell email signups. What you're reading is what we publish.
Or jump in if you just…
55 guides
Tax debt
IRS collection, OIC, audits
50 guides
Mass tort
Active MDLs, settlements
60 guides
Small business
Entities, equity, planning
51 guides
Lemon law
State frameworks
50 guides
Expungement
Sealing, set-aside
9 guides
Auto fraud
Dealer scams, repos, financing
58 guides
Employment law
Termination, discrimination, wages
6 guides
Landlord-tenant
Evictions, habitability, leases

Latest guides

View all 339 →
Landlord-tenant11 min
The implied warranty of habitability: what your landlord is legally required to maintain, what 'habitable' means by state, the remedies when conditions fall below the standard, and how habitability connects to every other tenant right
Maeve Callahan-Vargas · reviewed by Astrid Richter, Legal Researcher
Employment law11 min
Severance agreement negotiation: what to look for in the release of claims, the OWBPA requirements for workers over 40, the non-compete and non-disparagement clauses, and how to negotiate a better package
Wesley J. Mercer · reviewed by Curtis Hartley, Consumer Law Analyst
Tax debt12 min
Chapter 7 vs. Chapter 13 bankruptcy: the means test, which debts get discharged, what happens to your property, the automatic stay, and how to decide which chapter fits your situation
Mateo A. Salazar · reviewed by Rafael M. Mendoza, EA
Employment law11 min
ADA reasonable accommodation at work: the interactive process, what employers must provide, the undue hardship defense, and what to do when your request is denied
Wesley J. Mercer · reviewed by Curtis Hartley, Consumer Law Analyst