ANGOLA - Local lawyers, judges and other legal experts in conjunction with Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES will offer a series of weekly seminars designed to inform people of all ages about laws that are likely to affect them and how legal problems can be avoided or addressed.

Through the People's Law School, common legal issues such as wills, health care proxies, powers of attorney, trusts, Medicare and Medicaid, traffic rights, the criminal justice system, labor laws, employees' rights, foreclosure options and defenses, challenging property assessments, landlord and tenant rights, copyright laws and more will be discussed during three-hour seminars over a seven-week period.

The seminars will be hosted at four sites in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties from 6 to 9 p.m. every Tuesday from Oct. 13 to Nov. 24. The E2CCB Distance Learning network will enable attendants at each of the sites to participate in the same presentations and interact with local attorneys, judges and other legal experts, who will lead the discussions. Through informative, interesting and easy-to-understand sessions, they will use real-life examples and anecdotes to explain how the law works and how costly legal entanglements can be avoided.

Participants can attend the seminars at Jamestown High School, Dunkirk High School, Chautauqua Lake High School in Mayville and the BOCES center in Olean. Pre-registration is required. A $5 fee per seminar covers handouts and other materials. For more information, to request a brochure or to register, contact the E2CCB Adult & Community Education division toll-free at (800) 228-1184 ext. 4060.

Topics are as follows: Understanding Medicare, Medicaid and other social service programs (Oct. 13); labor and employment laws for both workers and employers (Oct. 20); laws concerning children and the elderly and issues such as wills, trusts, health care proxies, powers of attorneys and guardianships (Oct. 27); criminal law and vehicle/traffic law (Nov. 3); real estate, foreclosures, property assessments and zoning law (Nov. 10); matrimonial and family law (Nov. 17); and intellectual property, internet copyright and patent laws (Nov. 24).

The seminars were made possible by a partnership between E2CCB, the Robert H. Jackson Inn of Court and the Jamestown, Northern Chautauqua and Cattaraugus bar associations.