The law exerts a significant influence on the quality, accessibility, and afford-ability of long-term care (LTC) services that are, or that at some future time may be, needed by older Americans. The interaction between the legal system and the various participants involved in the provision and receipt of LTC consumers, family members, providers, payers, regulators, and advocates is complex and multifaceted. This chapter outlines some of the most salient aspects of this interaction so as to equip the reader both to more fully and accurately appreciate the roles of the law and lawyers in shaping the LTC environment and to evaluate the actual impact of the legal system on those whom it seeks to benefit, empower, oversee, or punish. It concentrates largely on institutional settings, particularly nursing homes, and on consumer-driven home- and community-based LTC (HCBLTC) options.