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Law Library Public Access Terminal

Serves as a short cut to resources commonly accessed by court users.

Statewide Forms

Find PDFs of forms used throughout the state, filing fees, and the fee waiver application. See below for more details and forms by case type.

New York State Unified Courts Statewide Forms with link
Find DIY forms.  The DIY program uses your answers to questions to make forms for your case that can be printed and filed with the court.

NYS Do-It-Yourself Forms logo with link
Statewide Forms DIY Forms
See below for forms by case type and additional resources about each topic.

Common Types of Forms

Common Forms
Form Description
Common Forms
Form Description
affidavit
A written statement sworn to in front of someone legally authorized, like a notary public.
 motion
A verbal or written request made by a party to the court to ask for something specific.
affidavit of service
A paper signed by someone not involved in a case saying that the papers were given (served) to another person who is named on the papers.
 notice
A legal paper telling the other side about something in a case.
answer
A statement that a defendant writes to reply to a civil case and says what defenses he or she will use.
 Order to Show Cause
A written request to the court to ask for something.  Used to bring something to the court’s attention quickly. May be used to ask the court to stop what is happening until the court date. It is one way to make a motion.
bill of particulars
A formal list of statements that clarify or detail the charges and/or facts in a case. Usually given after a request is made.
 petition
A paper that is sworn to that asks the court to start a case called a summary or special proceeding.  It works the same as a complaint in a civil case.
brief
A written statement that each side gives the court to say why the court should decide in their favor.
 pleadings
In a civil case, the group of papers made up of the complaint or petition, the answer, and the reply.
complaint
A written statement that starts a case. It states what the plaintiff says the defendant did and it asks the court for relief (help). It is also called the initial pleading or petition.
 summons
A notice to a person that they are being sued.  It lets them know where and when the answer must be filed.  It also lets the person know that if he or she does not answer by the deadline a default judgment may be entered against them.
injunction
A court order telling a person to do or not do something.
    
 

Forms by Case Type

Attorney Client Fee Dispute
The New York State Court System has a Statewide Fee Dispute Resolution Program (FDRP) to resolve disputes over fees between attorneys and clients.  
Consumer Credit
Any person or company can sue for money that is owed (a debt). This could be a credit card company, a hospital, a bank or any other person or company that thinks they are owed money. The person or company that is owed money is called a creditor. The person who owes money is called a debtor.
Criminal
Divorce
Domestic Violence
Domestic violence is a pattern of behaviors used by one partner to maintain power and control over another partner in an intimate relationship.
Extreme Risk Protection Order
An Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) is a court order issued when a person may be dangerous to themselves or others. An ERPO prohibits a person from purchasing or possessing guns and requires the person to surrender any guns they already own or possess.
Family
The official forms for use in Family Court are organized by proceeding type.  Review the menu on the Family Court forms page to see available options.
Foreclosure
The foreclosure forms are for all courts that preside over residential foreclosure cases.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA)
This privacy rule, a Federal law, gives you rights over your health information and sets rules and limits on who can look at and receive your health information.
Hope Cards
A Hope Card is a portable version of an Order of Protection. The Hope Card program allows anyone protected by an active final Order of Protection to request and receive a physical Hope Card, a digital Hope Card, or both.
Landlord & Tenant
Name or Sex Designation Change
Find forms for changing a name or sex designation in the Supreme Court or New York City Civil Court. Adults and children use different forms to request a name change or sex designation change. The easiest way to change a name or sex designation is to make the court papers you need using the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Form program.
Supreme Court
Surrogate's Court
Surrogate's Court decides what happens to a person's property when that person dies. The official forms for use in Surrogate’s Court are arranged by type of proceeding. See the navigational menu on the forms page for options.