The Utah courts have created a sizeable library of forms; a few that everyone is required to use, and a lot that can be used–optional, in other words–if one wants. Here is the link to the forms main page:
Should you use the optional forms that the court has created? It depends.The court provides the optional court forms for people who are not lawyers or who are not represented by lawyers.As you might have realized, documents that are meant to help a broad range of people with little to no legal expertise, and for a broad range of legal issues and problems, must generally be rather broad and generic.
Using these court-created forms can thus be better than doing nothing, but remember: static forms may come with instructions, but they can’t advise you what the best way to fill the forms out is. They can’t monitor what you are doing and correct your mistakes. The courts won’t correct mistakes in your forms for you either. The forms are intended to help you, but you are ultimately responsible for what you file with the court and what you state and fail to state in your filings.
Best practice: if you are going to proceed without a lawyer (known as proceeding pro se) and use court forms as part of your game plan instead of hiring an attorney to represent you fully in your case, then before you sign and file or serve any court forms, consult with an attorney (yes, there will almost certainly be a fee for this) to ensure that you filled out the forms correctly and most effectively for what you are trying to accomplish. You may need as little as an hour’s time, you may need more. Be prepared to pay at least several hundred dollars for an attorney’s time.
If you do not have the funds to retain legal counsel, the court-created forms can be and usually are a useful resource, and can be and usually are better than trying to navigate the legal system all by yourself. If a form will do the job you need without needing the benefit of legal knowledge, experience, and expertise, a form may be a worthwhile way to go. Remember, however, that forms are no substitute for legal knowledge, experience, and expertise, and when you need the help that only legal knowledge, experience, and expertise can provide, it will cost you, but it’s worth it.
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