Practice aids and form books are resources targeted to practitioners. These materials help practitioners draft common documents, like applications, provide checklists and templates, cover elements of legal issues, and more. They are practical, how-to sources. Practice aids and form books will often be tailored to specific jurisdictions.
Practice aids and form books are available online on Lexis and Westlaw, as well as in print. Popular Texas materials include O'Connors and Dorsaneos. You will also often find materials published by Bender, the State Bar of Texas, as well as other bar associations, sections, and groups.
Law school teaches students legal content and impresses "thinking like a lawyer," but it often does not convey, at least to the same extent, the practical, how-to side of practicing law. Practice aids help fill this gap by explaining how to do actual law work. To this end, look for practice aids specific to your jurisdiction and area of law. You want to ensure that if you look for guidance from these materials, that they actually include content that is consistent with whatever law is controlling for you.
Additionally, not every practice aid will be the same. If you have access to practice aids from multiple publishers with content for your particular needs, consider looking at more than one to notice any similarities or differences in what the materials say. Keep in mind the characteristics of your task as well--are you putting together something that is more repetitive and standardized or something that requires a lot more tailoring for your client?
Most importantly, remember that practice aids and, especially, forms are a starting place for your work, not an ending place. They are helpful guidelines and templates for you, and not necessarily what you should be filing with a court or sending to opposing counsel. Always make sure that you adapt anything you use to your client's specific situation. Practice materials are not tailored to what your client needs or wants!
Following are links to Westlaw and Lexis content pages for some common practice aids and form books.
Texas Practice Series on Westlaw
