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Check out Lawi’s library of sample forms, templates, interactive worksheets, spreadsheets, and contracts

Lawyers frequently use forms, templates, and uniform or model laws to help them draft legal documents in a manner consistent with the requirements of statutes, regulations, and the rules of court procedure.

Drafting guides

provide a general description of the requirements of a particular document.

Checklists

provide a list of required and optional elements to be included in a document.

Sample clauses

provide a selection of phrases and paragraphs that can be tailored by cutting and pasting to fit the requirements of a specific situation.

Model documents

provide the text of entire legal documents. When they contain blank spaces to be filled in for variables such as a client’s name and the date, they are called fill-in forms.

Caution: Because every legal situation varies, a lawyer’s expertise is often necessary to tailor any form to a specific legal situation or the rules of a particular court.

According to the article “Do-It-Yourself Legal Forms: Plus or Peril?” from ConsumerAffairs.com, “the biggest pitfall is a false sense of security. .. few forms come with enough explanation to assure the user that he or she is using the instrument in the right way. And if you aren’t, no alarm bell will ring. Many “legal forms” are contracts, with power to bind you to a commitment you may not want.”

General Collections of Legal Forms

General form books can be divided into two main categories:

Pleading and practice forms are used for filing motions with the court during a lawsuit or criminal trial. Examples include complaints, answers, replies, and counterclaims. Often individual court Web sites will provide forms that follow the rules of that specific court.

Transactional instruments are used for legal situations that are not necessarily litigious in nature. Examples include leases, contracts, and wills.

Conclusion

Notes

See Also

References and Further Reading

About the Author/s and Reviewer/s

Author: international

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