Finding Legal Forms

When writing a legal agreement, attorneys often rely on form books to get a basic understanding of the elements of a particular agreement and language used in such agreements.

Bloomberg Law, Lexis and Westlaw

In addition to the form books listed above, these services provide forms for individual jurisdictions and many areas of law.

  • WestlawNext or Westlaw: These two databases provide an easy way to find forms. Formfinder includes many of the sources mentioned below like Massachusetts Practice and Am.Jur. Forms. It can be searched by jurisdiction, topic or publication.
  • Lexis: Use the Lexis "Legal" sources hierarchy to find the page for the jurisdiction or topic that applies to your question. Within each jurisdiction or topic, sources for forms may be found under "Treatises and Other Analytical Materials".
  • Bloomberg Law: From the Home tab select "DealMaker Documents" and then select from the vast variety of forms available. Note that clause-specific language is available here as well.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts Practice Series (Law Pappas' Reading Room)

  • This set covers many different legal topics, many with practice tips and forms. Start your research with the index, since many topics are covered in multiple books. Customizable forms may be available on floppy disks held at the Pappas circulation desk. You will need to know the volume and chapter number in order to get the correct disk.
  • TIP: Forms are also available on Westlaw, but consulting the books makes it easier to determine which form might be helpful. If searching in Mass. Practice rather than the Formfinder, use the section number and title words from the form to search: ci(section number) & ti(title)

Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) books

  • MCLE is a legal publisher specializing in Massachusetts legal resources. Many of the books have forms in them as well as practice tips. To locate books published by MCLE, conduct a word search in the BU libraries online catalog. Use a topic word and the term Massachusetts, then limit the result to publisher "MCLE".
  • TIP: Selected MCLE books are available on Lexis and Westlaw. It is best to find the form you need in a book first, then use the title of the book and words from the pertinent section to search: pr("Massachusetts Business Lawyering") & "Consent of Sole Incorporator"

Other books

  • Books containing forms for Massachusetts legal topics may be found in the BU libraries online catalog by conducting a word search.

Example: massachusetts and criminal and forms

Massachusetts Forms on the Internet

General Form Books

Although these formbooks are also available online, it is best to consult the print indices to locate the desired form then use the title of the form to locate the electronic version.

  • AmJur Legal Forms
    Print: Law Reference KF 170 .A41
    Westlaw Database: AMJUR-LF
  • Current Legal Forms (Rabkin & Johnson)
    Print: Law Reference KF 6286 .R3
    Lexis Source: MATBEN;CLFTA
  • Nichols Cyclopedia of Legal Forms
    Print: Law Reference KF 170 .N5
    Westlaw Database: NICHOLS-LF
  • West's Legal Forms
    Print: Law Reference KF 170 .L53
    Westlaw Database: WEST-LF

Topical Form Books

To locate form books on specific types of agreements, use the BU libraries online catalog. Conduct a word search using a topic keyword and any of the following terms: forms, contracts.

  • Examples: corporations and forms, entertainment and contracts

World Wide Web

Many legal forms are available on the World Wide Web. Try these sites which contain mostly free forms:

 

Page maintained by Steven Ellis
Last updated: May 2013