Finding Form Books

Legal forms provide sample versions of standard legal documents and instruments. Legal forms are frequently compiled into sets (often multi-volume) known as form books. Form books can be valuable resources as drafting guides or as checklists.

The Taggart Law Library has many different types of helpful form books. A number of the more commonly used sets in our collection are listed below, along with a brief description of the set, its call number, and its location in the library. If you need help locating or using any of these resources, please consult with a librarian.

 

General Forms

Am. Jur. Pleading and Practice Forms: KF8836.A45—Law North

Annotated forms focus on litigation and other practice before courts and administrative agencies; divided into topical chapters; cross-references to American Jurisprudence 2d legal encyclopedia.

Am. Jur. Legal Forms, 2nd ed.: KF170.A43—Law North

Annotated, practice-oriented forms including instruments such as contracts, leases, and wills; divided into topical chapters; also cross-referenced to Am. Jur. 2d.

West’s Legal Forms, 2nd ed. : KF170.M64—Law North

Forms arranged by broad practice areas, such as commercial transactions, business, and real estate.

Cyclopedia of Legal Forms Annotated (Nichols) : KF170.N53—Law North

Annotated forms presented topically in an alphabetical encyclopedia format; many forms have a business orientation.

Current Legal Forms, with Tax Analysis (Rabkin & Johnson): KF170.R33—Law North

Looseleaf set of forms, generally arranged by broad practice areas; includes tax analysis along with various form types.

 

Federal Forms

Bender’s Federal Practice Forms: KF8836.B46—Law North

Looseleaf set of forms arranged by court rule; contains annotations and cross-references to Moore’s Federal Practice, 2d.

Federal Procedural Forms, Lawyers’ Edition: KF8836.F4—Law North

Annotated forms organized by subject in an alphabetical encyclopedia format; companion to West’s Federal Procedure, Lawyers’ Edition.

West’s Federal Forms: KF170.W47—Law North

Forms with comments included; organized by court, with separate volumes for forms used in the Supreme Court, Courts of Appeals, District Courts, Bankruptcy Courts, and special federal courts.

Nichols Cyclopedia of Federal Procedure Forms: KF8836.N53—Law North

Annotated forms for civil and criminal matters; companion to the Cyclopedia of Federal Procedure.

 

Ohio Forms

Ohio Forms of Pleading and Practice: KFO535.A65 O35—Law South (also on Reserve)

Looseleaf set that includes civil, appellate, probate, special proceedings, and criminal forms.

Anderson’s Ohio Civil Practice: Pleading, Procedure, and Forms, 2nd ed. : KFO530.A82 2005 —Law South and Reserve (CD-ROM also on Reserve—ask for by call number)

Ohio Forms and Transactions: KFO68.O363—Reserve (CD-ROM also on Reserve—ask for by call number )

Annual softcover volume with forms organized by subject, such as corporations, partnerships, employment, personal property, real property, nonprofit organizations, and wills and trusts.

Ohio Transaction Guide: Legal Forms: KFO213.A65 O35—Law South (also on Reserve)

Looseleaf set focusing on transactional forms, including business, commercial, and personal transactions, real estate, and wills and trusts.

Couse’s Ohio Form Book, 6th ed. (revised and updated): KFO68.C6 2003—Law South

Looseleaf set including forms related to tax issues, business, domestic relations, estate planning, probate, real property, legal practice, and more.

Ohio Forms: Practice-Oriented Forms for Ohio Legal and Business Transactions: KFO68.O35—Law South (CD-ROM also on Reserve—ask for by call number)

Transactional forms covering real property, leases, contracts, business planning, estate planning, family law, the UCC, and more.

Anderson’s Ohio Criminal Practice and Procedure: KFO561.A95—Reserve (CD-ROM on Reserve—ask for by call number)

Handbook covering Ohio criminal law; includes checklists for prosecutors and defense counsel, as well as a section of forms.

State of Ohio Forms: http://ohio.gov/forms

Website from the state of Ohio with links to top requested forms as well as forms from individual state agencies, boards, and commissions.

 

Additional Sources for Forms

• Other general form books can be found by searching POLAR, the library’s online catalog, under the subject “Forms (Law)—United States.”

• Other Ohio form books can be found using a subject search in POLAR for “Forms (Law)—Ohio” or by using a subject or keyword search for forms in a specific area of law, such as “Forms—Divorce law—Ohio” or “Forms—Corporation law—Ohio.” Form books from other states can be found in a similar manner.

• Many practice-oriented treatises have sample forms specific to the area of law they are discussing. These treatises can be found by using a subject or keyword search in POLAR, such as “Estate planning—forms.”

• Some states include official forms in their statutory codes. Check the state materials section in Law South for these codes.

• A growing number of legal forms are available on the Internet. These can be either official or unofficial, provided for free or for a fee. Some selected links to finding forms online are:

• WashLaw Web—Legal Forms: Links to a variety of different types of forms, including forms archives, state and federal court forms, tax forms, and various business forms.

• Findlaw: Links to many federal and state court forms, as well as government forms, issue-specific forms, and business contracts.

• LLRX.com: Includes links to over 1,400 sources for state and federal court rules, forms, and dockets; ability to browse or search by keyword.

• ILRG Legal Forms Archive: Contains over 1,750 business and personal forms, many of which are state-specific.

• FindForms.com: Specialized search engine designed to locate legal forms online. Search results will include both free and pay sites.

• Forms.gov : The U.S. government’s “official hub” for federal forms. This site contains many, but not all, forms used by federal agencies. Forms can be located by number, agency, or name.

• IRS Forms and Publications : The official source for federal tax forms

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