Fillable Forms Bank
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Fillable Forms Bank?
How do I purchase a library or a form?
How do I use the Fillable Forms Bank?
What is the Fillable Forms Bank?
What is the
Fillable Forms Bank?
The Fillable Forms Bank incorporates hundreds of forms, sample
language documents, and checklists generated from State Bar CLE Books,
organized into practice area libraries and available in up to four
different file formats. Libraries vary in size. Some contain well over a
hundred forms.
What are the benefits of
purchasing a subscription to a forms library?
Save time, paperwork, and your sanity -
Streamline
your workflow by having 24/7 access to a central online forms bank,
drafted
to meet your practice needs.
Stay current - You can download the most
current version of the form(s) whenever needed, wherever you have an
Internet connection.
Work in the format of your choice - Word,
WordPerfect, OmniForm Mailable Filler (requires no special software),
and PDF options ensure compatibility with your needs and your
system.
Fill them out faster - Quick-fill options
on the OmniForm Mailable Filler and PDF formats allow you to tab between
fields for fast, simple completion.
Make them your own - Word and WordPerfect
formats allow you to easily edit forms to seamlessly fit your client's
needs or your firm's procedures.
Can I
view what forms are available from a forms library before I make a
purchase?
View the number, titles, and available formats of the forms before
purchasing a subscription to a Library. Descriptions and revision dates
are also available for each form before and after purchase.
How do I purchase a library or
a form?
What are my purchase options?
You may purchase a one-year subscription to a forms library, or
one-time use forms, by ordering online, or by calling the State Bar of
Wisconsin at (800) 728-7788. If a number of individuals within
your law firm will be using the libraries, you can purchase multi-user
licenses by calling the State Bar of Wisconsin.
If you will be subscribing online to a forms library for yourself, or
are purchasing one-time use forms, you will receive access immediately
after your purchase. Ordering multi-user licenses, and ordering by
phone, will result in access within one business day.
- Solo practitioner or specialist in a small firm?
The individual, one-year subscription is tailored to fit your needs. You
get access to the forms you need, for a full-year, without breaking the
bank.
Individual one-year
subscriptions - starting at $79.95
- Subscribe
online or call (800) 728-7788.
- Go to www.wisbar.org/FormsBank and
select your practice library.
- Search or scroll through the list of forms in the
library/libraries you subscribed to.
- Download the form(s) you need in the format of your choice.
You must be logged in.
- Member of medium or large firm? Check out the
cost savings available with multi-user subscriptions, which allow
multiple users to simultaneously access all forms in the libraries
subscribed to, at anytime.
Multi-user
subscriptions - call Customer Service
or go to the Fillable
Forms Product and select a library for pricing information.
- Call (800) 728-7788 (online registration for multi-users is not
available at this time).
- Supply a member number to the Customer Service representative and
identify the users for each subscription.
- Go to www.wisbar.org/FormsBank and select
your practice library.
- Search or scroll through the list of forms in the library/libraries
you subscribed to.
- Download the form(s) you need in the format of your choice.
You must be logged in.
- Consider yourself an infrequent forms user or rarely
practice in this area of law? The one-time use option
may
be just right for you. You get the form you need for a one-time
use. Just
purchase, download, and fill it out — you're
done.
One-time use forms
purchases - starting at $3.99 each
- Go to the Fillable
Forms Products and select a category
- Scroll through to find the forms you desire
- Purchase the forms through the regular checkout process
- Receive the email containing a link to the zipped file of forms
- Open the file and use the format of your choice.
The Fillable Forms Bank is intended for sale to and use by State Bar
of Wisconsin attorneys only. To purchase these products online, you
must be logged in as an attorney member.
If I
purchase a number of licenses, how can I change who can access the
Fillable forms library?
If a subscriber leaves a firm, any forms subscriptions they hold
may be
reassigned to another member of the firm by calling State Bar
customer service
at (800) 728-7788. You must provide the name of the new subscriber
at this
time. If additional licenses are needed, new users can be added at
any time
at a prorated charge.
Once I
subscribe to a forms library, do I have to pay extra to receive
updates?
No. Any time the State Bar issues a revision during your
subscription, the
form will be updated automatically, without additional cost to the
subscriber.
When forms are updated, you will receive an email notification with
a link
to the new forms. Additionally, if the Bar adds new forms,
checklists, or
other documents to the library during your subscription, you can
access
those forms -- FREE.
The State Bar of Wisconsin updates forms at least as often as the
source
books are updated; and will regularly review forms to keep them as
current
as possible. The State Bar of Wisconsin CANNOT guarantee that all
forms are
current "up to the minute" due to the rapidly changing
nature of the law. To assure that you are using the most current
version
of the form available, you should log in to WisBar whenever you need
to use a form.
When does my
forms library subscription end?
Your forms library subscription will end one year after date of
purchase.
The State Bar will notify you when your expiration date nears and
extend
the option to renew at a discount off the current price.
How do I renew
my forms library subscription?
The State Bar will notify you when your expiration
date nears and extend the option to renew at a discount off the current
price. Renewals receive 10% off when purchased within 60 days of
subscription expiration.
Can
I purchase individual forms?
Fillable Forms are available either as a library subscription, or
as individual,
one-time, downloads. If you purchase an individual form, you will
have access to the form for seven days, during which you can download a
zipped file with all available file formats of that form. Once the
download period has ended, you will have to re-purchase the form to
receive any updates.
Individual fillable forms only can be used according to the terms
set forth in the User Agreement. It is a
violation of the user agreement if a single individual form is purchased
and used for multiple clients. If you would like to use a form for
multiple clients, you can do so by increasing the quantity of the form
at the time of purchase.
The Fillable Forms Bank is intended for sale to and use by State Bar
of Wisconsin attorneys only. To purchase these products online, you
must be logged in as an attorney member.
What does the User Agreement mean to
me?
Before using the forms bank, you must agree to the user agreement,
or you will be shown the agreement whenever you try to access the forms.
The most recent version of the User
Agreement is available online and also is included with your
individual form purchases. If revisions are made to the User Agreement,
you will once again be asked to agree.
A summary of the terms are as follows:
- The forms are the copyrighted property of the State Bar of
Wisconsin.
- The forms are intended for use in the representation of third-party
clients.
- The forms are not to be distributed, either modified or unmodified,
to any third parties for purposes of resale or redistribution.
- The State Bar of Wisconsin does not offer any warranty with respect
to the use of the forms bank, and the Bar will not be liable
for any damages incurred in the connection with use of the forms
bank.
- Each individual user of the forms bank must have a user license. No
license sharing is authorized. Subscribers may purchase multi-user
packages if multiple users are anticipated. Downloading a library of
forms for the purpose of sharing them with other users without the
necessary licenses is in violation of the agreement.
- The license authorized the user to use the forms during the
subscription period only. Continuing to use the forms beyond the
expiration of the subscription is a violation of the agreement.
- Individual form purchases (not subscriptions) include a
one-time-use license. It is a violation of the user agreement if a user
purchases a single individual form and uses for multiple clients.
- There is a NO REFUND policy on forms purchases.
How do I use the Fillable Forms
Bank?
How do I
access the Fillable Forms Bank?
Once you have purchased a subscription to a forms
library, you will be able to login to the Fillable
Forms Bank using the same login information you use for WisBar. How
do I login?
Once you log in, you can access any forms from the libraries you
have
purchased. You can view the libraries you have purchased by going to
myStateBar
and
looking under "My Forms Libraries".
How
do I access the individual form I purchased?
After purchasing an individual fillable
form, you will receive an email with a link to a zipped file containing all available formats
for that form, as well as a copy of the User
Agreement. In addition, you can access your forms by going to myStateBar and
clicking on the product name under "My Downloadable
Products".
If you receive a prompt when clicking on the link, Save the zipped
file to your hard drive. You can then open the zipped file and copy the
files to your hard drive.
You will have access to download the form for seven days, after
which your link will expire and you will be unable to download the
form.
You can check whether or not you have an email address on file with
the State Bar by visiting My Profile. If you do
not have an email address on file, you must add one before completing
your order. You can do this online, before your order, or at the time of
purchase by calling Customer Service at (800) 728-7788.
If you did not have an email on your record and completed a
purchase, you must contact Customer Service at (800) 728-7788 for your
form. You will also have to supply an email address for the delivery of
your form.
Individual fillable forms can only be accessed online, with a valid
email address, and can only be used according to the terms set forth in
the User Agreement.
What
format should I use?
Most forms are offered in 4 formats: Word,
WordPerfect, Adobe PDF, and OmniForm Mailable Filler (sample language
documents are offered only in Word and WordPerfect). When purchasing
forms as either a part of a subscription to a library, or as one-time
use forms, all available formats are available for use.
Word and WordPerfect formats can be modified by changing or deleting
text, moving text around, etc. Adobe PDF and OmniForm formats can only
be modified by adding text into blanks for client and case
information.
If you need to modify the language in a form - such as when drafting
a will
- you will most likely want to use the Word or WordPerfect form,
depending
upon which software you currently have. We do not support changes to
the formatting of the Word or WordPerfect forms.
If the form is a standard form where you will not be modifying any
language
but simply will be filling in the blanks, a PDF or OmniForm version is
preferable,
but the Word or WordPerfect form also can be used for this
purpose.
PDF and OmniForm forms are similar in appearance and in how they are
filled out. The main difference between
the two is that the completed PDF only can be saved if you have the
professional
version of Adobe Acrobat. Without Adobe Acrobat, you can complete the
form
and print it, but cannot save it.
The completed OmniForm can be saved under a new name without any
additional
software required. The ability to save and email a completed document
would
be the main reason to choose the OmniForm over the PDF.
Should I
open or save the file?
When you attempt to view a form in the forms library,
you may be prompted to choose between opening the file or saving it to
your computer.
The State Bar recommends that subscribers to a forms library open the
forms,
instead of saving them to their computer. Doing so will ensure that
you are
using the most current version of the form available.
If you have purchased an individual fillable form, you must save the
zipped
file to your computer, as the form will only be available to you for
download
for a short time. You can then open the zipped file and copy the files
to your
hard drive. If you do not download the zip file to your computer
before the
expiration date, you will be unable to access zip file.
How safe
are the downloadable forms?
Files are scanned for all currently known viruses
before being made available for download, as well as on a daily basis.
However, you should still be sure to scan downloaded files before
use.
Microsoft Word
What
version of Word is used with the Fillable Forms Bank?
Forms are created with Word 2003 and also have been tested in Word
2000. As new versions of Word are introduced, the State Bar reserves the
right to remove support for older versions.
Why
can't I check any of the boxes in the checklists?
All Word forms are created
unprotected, so that any part of the form, such as document text, may be
modified. Unprotecting documents also means that check boxes cannot be
checked electronically.
If you would like the ability to electronically fill out a
checklist, you can do so by protecting the document. To do this, you'll
need access to the Forms toolbar. If you do not already have this
available, you can view this toolbar by selecting View > Toolbars >
Forms. On the Forms toolbar, select the Protect Form icon (a padlock)
to toggle protection on and off.

Alternatively, if you would always like a check box to be checked,
you can do so by double-clicking on the check box. You may then change
the default status for this box - either checked or unchecked.
WordPerfect
What version of WordPerfect is used with the
Fillable Forms Bank?
Forms are created with WordPerfect 12.0 and also have been tested
in WordPerfect 10. As new versions of WordPerfect are introduced, the
State Bar reserves the right to remove support for older versions.
Adobe Acrobat
What version of Adobe Acrobat is used with the
Fillable Forms Bank?
Forms are in Adobe Acrobat 7.0. For best results,
upgrade your software to 7.0. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat, you can
use the free Adobe
Reader to fill out and print forms.
What
are the notes icons in the Adobe Acrobat forms?
The note icons next to some of the form fields
contain comment text for assisting you in form completion. The
notes are visible on the screen only, unless you specifically
opt to print them. The tab key will tab through the note icons as well
as the form fields.
Can
I get the form fields to be highlighted in Adobe Acrobat?
Select the "Highlight Fields" option located just
below the toolbar menus in both the Reader and Acrobat programs. The
form fields will then be highlighted on your screen.
How does
Adobe Acrobat treat form text that does not fit within the form
fields?
Completed form text in a field will not wrap or
condense to a smaller font size if your text goes beyond the form
field's size limit. Please use an alternative form format if you require
more space in a field.
What
does the reset button do in the Adobe Acrobat forms?
For your convenience, each Adobe Acrobat form
contains a reset button on the bottom of each document. Click on the
button to remove all of the contents typed in the form fields.
Why
can't I save my completed Adobe Acrobat form?
Adobe Reader will not allow you to save Adobe
forms. You must own the Adobe Acrobat software to save Adobe forms.
Please use an alternative form format if you need to save the
information you enter into a form and do not have access to Adobe
Acrobat.
OmniForm
What
is the OmniForm Mailable Filler format?
The OmniForm Mailable Filler is designed so that you can quickly
complete
forms in a convenient and easily transferable format. Simply
tab
through the form fields and save your completed form with a new
name.
The OmniForm Mailable Filler format, which requires no
additional software downloaded onto your computer, is only
compatible with PCs running Windows.
Note that you may not change form text with this format; please use
the Word or WordPerfect formats to modify form text.
What is the
red text in the OmniForms?
The red text next to some of the form fields is
helper text for completing the form fields. Helper text will not
print.
How does
OmniForm treat form text that does not fit within the form
fields?
Completed form text will condense to a smaller font
size if your text goes beyond the form field's space limit.
How do I
save OmniForm forms?
When you want to save your changes to a form in OmniForm format,
you can save your changes by selecting File, then Save As. At the
prompt, browse to the location where you would like to save the new
file, and enter a file name. When you save the form, OmniForm will
create two files with your file name: one executable file (EXE), and one
HTML document, as the window below states.

Why do I
now have an HTML version of the OmniForm that I just saved?
After completing a form, you will notice that the
OmniForm Mailable Filler form is also saved as an HTML file. This
feature is to accommodate those e-mail systems that do not allow
executable files (*.exe) to be sent through their systems. The HTML
document can be used and e-mailed in the same manner as the original
version of the form.
The State Bar recommends and supports Internet Explorer 5.5 or above
for
use with these HTML documents.
When opening an OmniForm HTML file, you may receive a security
message at the top of the page. Click on the text and select "Allow
Blocked Content" to allow the necessary plug-in to start. If you have
not used an OmniForm HTML file before, you will be asked to download and
install a small plug-in (OFMailX.cab, from ScanSoft, Inc.). This install
is required for the OmniForm file to work. If you are at a law office,
and your Information Technology staff does not allow users to install
plug-ins or programs, you may want to get their permission or use one of
the form's other formats.
Zip files
Zip files, sometimes called archives, contain one
or more compressed files. Zip files make it easy to keep files together
and allow a faster download.
How do I access zip files?
To open zip files, you must have a program that can
decompress the contents of the file. While newer versions of Windows,
like Windows XP, have zip functionality built in, older versions and
other systems require a separate program.
PKWARE offers ZIP
Reader, a free Windows utility that allows you to open and extract
zip files.
WinZip is another popular
utility. You can evaluate the product before purchase.
Fillable Forms Bank