Note The library cannot help you fill out forms or determine what form you should use.

About Legal Forms

Official Forms

In general, Texas has very few official legal forms. This is why you will not always find a free fill-in-the-blank form for your situation.

If there is an official form for a legal procedure, it is usually found on the court or court clerk websites. We link to many in this guide.

Templates & Drafting Guides

Everyone's legal situation is different. It is difficult to create standard fill-in-the-blank forms that can work for everyone.

If there are no fill-in-the-blank forms, you may be able to draft your own by using a form template or drafting guide. These are usually created by legal aid and nonprofit groups or private publishers.

Templates and drafting guides often need to be customized for your specific situation. TexasLawHelp.org has an article that explains how you can change existing forms or write your own. If you need help, it's a good idea to ask a lawyer.

Online Forms

Child Name Change

Name Change for a Child (TexasLawHelp.org)
Change your child's name.
Answer — Family Law Case (TexasLawHelp.org)
Respond to a law suit in a family law case. Forms are available for custody (SAPCR), divorce, paternity, modification, and name change situations.
Service by Publication (TexasLawHelp.org)
Tell the judge that you want to serve the other parent by publishing in a newspaper because you cannot find the other parent.

Adult Name Change

Name Change for an Adult (TexasLawHelp.org)
Change your own name as an adult.
Name Change of an Adult (eFileTexas.gov)
eFileTexas's self-help section contains an interactive interview that will help you create completed forms for an adult name change. Select "family cases" from the list of types of filings.

E-Books

Many e-books contain forms or drafting guides. To access, first get a free library account online.

Our librarians recommend:

Texas family law practice and procedure
Name change procedures: Volume 5, Objective Z.

Other Places to Find Forms

Court Websites

Check your county or municipality's website for any available legal forms. Some county websites or court websites upload commonly used legal forms as a public service. For example, the Dallas County District Clerk and the Harris County District Clerk provide downloadable legal forms on their websites.
To find court websites and contact information view the Texas judicial directory, search the judicial directory database, or view the interactive map of judicial districts.

Books or E-Books from a Law Library

The State Law Library's digital collection has e-books that can be accessed from home. Many of these e-books contain legal forms or drafting guides. To access, first get a free library account online with the Texas State Law Library.
Visit a law library near you to search for books with legal forms and drafting guides.
The State Law Library has books with legal forms and drafting guides to check out at our location in Austin. Search for books in our library catalog or view our list of recommended titles.

An Attorney

An attorney could create a custom form for you. If you are not able to find the legal form you are looking for, one may not exist in a pre-prepared format and you may need to seek help from a lawyer.
To find an attorney, see the resources on our Legal Help guide.