TINYLEGAL
Plain-English legal help — DIY documents, know-your-rights basics, and when to call a real lawyer.
From counting a filing deadline and estimating the cost of a small claim to working out a notice date, tracking a deposit return, budgeting a business registration, and plain-language checking a document, TinyLegal pairs free DIY tools with clear explainers and a browsable museum of legal history. Understand the basics — then know when to call a lawyer.
General information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction — always confirm with a licensed attorney.
Legal Tools & Calculators
Free DIY tools for everyday legal tasks — statute of limitations deadline, small claims estimator, contract notice period, security deposit tracker, business registration cost, and a plain-language document scorer.
Statute of Limitations Deadline Calculator
Enter your incident (or discovery) date and the limitation period that applies where you are, and see the resulting filing deadline and how many days remain
Small Claims Cost & Recovery Estimator
Add up your filing fee, service fee, and other costs against the amount you hope to recover to estimate your net if you win — and flag a claim over your court's limit
Contract Notice Period Date Calculator
Turn a notice period stated in days, weeks, or months into a concrete effective date, counted forward from the day you give notice
Security Deposit Return Deadline Tracker
Count the return window from your move-out date using the number of days your jurisdiction allows, net out any deductions, and see whether the landlord is overdue
Business Registration Cost Estimator
Total the one-time and recurring costs of forming a business — filing, name reservation, publication, licences, registered agent, and annual report fees you enter
Legal Document Plain-Language Scorer
Paste any contract or notice to get its reading level, average sentence length, and a list of legalese words worth replacing with plainer English
Museum of Law & Justice
Wander a browsable museum of the ideas and artefacts that shaped the law — the long history of legal systems and the codes that came before us, the courts and institutions that deliver justice, the famous documents from Magna Carta onward, and the principles of contract and property law, each in its own gallery, so you can get to know the story behind the rules: where each idea came from, what it protects, and how it still shapes everyday life.
Tour the museum →From the Blog
Plain-English explainers on contracts, small claims, tenant rights, NDAs, wills, and cease-and-desist letters — the everyday legal situations most people meet, written for non-lawyers.
How to Read a Contract Before You Sign It
A plain-English walkthrough of what to look for in a contract before you sign, from the parties and obligations to the fine-print clauses people most often overlook.
What Is a Statute of Limitations?
A statute of limitations is the deadline for bringing a legal claim. This guide explains how these time limits work, when the clock starts and pauses, and why they exist.
Small Claims Court Basics: Suing Without a Lawyer
Small claims court lets ordinary people resolve modest disputes without a lawyer. Here is how it generally works, from deciding whether to sue through preparing for your hearing.
NDA Basics: What a Non-Disclosure Agreement Really Does
A non-disclosure agreement is a contract to keep certain information secret. This guide explains how NDAs work, the key terms to watch, and what they can and cannot do.
Tenant Security Deposit Rights, Explained
Your security deposit is your money, held in trust. This guide explains how deposits generally work, what landlords can and cannot deduct, and how to get yours back.
DIY Will Basics: Writing a Simple Will
A will lets you decide who gets what and who cares for your children. This guide explains what a simple will does, the formalities that make it valid, and when to get help.
Keep Learning
Reference explainers on the foundations of law, your rights and how procedure works, the documents and contracts you meet in daily life, and the way law shows up in the world — everything you need to dig deeper before you talk to a professional.
Visit the Learn hub →