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Research 101: How to Find Forms and Precedents

Selected Sources - General Collections

The following publications can be found in the Law Society of Ontario's Great Library, and in some cases, in your local county and district law library. Check InfoLocate, the Great Library’s catalogue, for specific locations.

Canadian Sources

 

  • Law Society of Ontario, Annotated Document Series
    • Each title in this series contains a sample document annotated with clause by clause commentary and drafting tips written by specialists in the field. To date, over 20 topics have been covered. Available online on AccessCLE.

 

 

  • O'Brien's Encyclopedia of Forms, 11th ed., loose-leaf. KF 170 O27 1987 / 2nd floor. Also online through Westlaw - accessible in the Great Library
    • Forms, sample clauses, commentary and checklists are included for a number of topics.

 

American Sources

Use and adapt these sources when you cannot find a Canadian form on your topic. 

  • Westlaw US has a "forms" section; when you click on it you can select a source by state, topic or publication name. The most comprehensive sources are: 
    • West's Legal Forms
      • Full text available from Westlaw - accessible in the Great Library.
      • An American multi-volume set containing complete precedents, sample clauses, commentary and checklists on a wide variety of topics.
         
    • American Jurisprudence Legal Forms
      • Full text available from Westlaw - accessible in the Great Library.
      • An American multi-volume set containing complete forms, commentary, checklists and practice aids on a wide variety of topics.

 

  • Fern, Martin D., Warren's Forms of Agreements, loose-leaf. KF 808 W37 / 1st floor & CD-ROM collection
    • An American multi-volume set containing business forms.