Whether a self-help “pro se” individual is looking to transfer real property, file for a divorce, loan money, sell property or set up a business, the use of accurate and up-to-date legal forms and documentation is essential. In many cases, individuals seeking the assistance of an attorney could achieve the very same result by obtaining, completing and filing/recording with the appropriate court or government entity the necessary valid and binding legal forms.
Most common legal matters involve the use of some kind of standardized legal form. For years, courts and attorneys have created these standardized forms and the use of these forms has been ongoing, often without any changes in the form or document for substantial periods of time. The use of the forms by individuals who are not lawyers does not, in any way, make these forms any less valid or binding. As long as the form or document utilizes the legal “magic words” and complies with the governmental regulations with regard to content and usage, the document is effective — even when completed and filed by a non-lawyer.
Of equal importance to the legal forms themselves are the instructions to complete the forms correctly. Many times, a person may be able to find a generic legal form from a government agency or court website, but typically those documents will not provide any type of instructions or overviews to help a person complete and file them. So unless the person has a keen understanding of the law and its processes — including any state-specific requirements that are usually not spelled out on the form — the blank documents from a government or court website will be unmanageable for the average person.
So how can the average person gain access to the types of legal forms needed for common issues like Bankruptcy, Wills, Divorce, etc. with the proper instructions included? A number of the most common “do it yourself legal forms” are available in downloadable software format from companies like Standard Legal and others, at a price significantly less than the cost of hiring an attorney.