Editorial Guidelines
How we create, review, and maintain our legal document templates.
Our Commitment to Accuracy
Legal documents carry real consequences. A poorly drafted contract can lead to financial loss, disputes, or unenforceable agreements. That is why every template on Forms Legal goes through a structured creation and review process designed to maximize accuracy and legal compliance.
We maintain separate template libraries for the United States and Canada, reflecting the fundamentally different legal systems, terminology, and regulatory frameworks in each country.
Template Creation Process
Legal Research
We begin by researching the applicable laws and regulations for each document type. For U.S. documents, this includes federal statutes, the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), and state-specific requirements. For Canadian documents, we reference federal legislation (PIPEDA, CBCA, Criminal Code interest caps, Canada Labour Code), provincial statutes (Employment Standards Acts, Residential Tenancies Acts, Personal Property Security Acts), and relevant case law (e.g., Uber Technologies v. Heller for arbitration, Shafron v. KRG for non-compete enforceability).
Drafting & Structuring
Templates are drafted using standard legal language recognized by courts and institutions. Each document includes proper definitions, required clauses, signature blocks, and jurisdiction-specific governing law provisions. Canadian templates use Canadian English spelling (e.g., “honour,” “cheque,” “licence”), reference CAD currency, use metric measurements, and include province/territory selectors with all 13 jurisdictions.
Automated Quality Assurance
Every template is validated by our automated QA system, which runs 37+ checks including: field name uniqueness, template text marker resolution, signature block presence, province field validation (for Canadian templates), governing law clause verification, Canadian legal terminology checks, currency validation, SEO metadata completeness, and title-slug consistency. Templates must pass all checks before publication.
Review & Publication
After passing QA, templates undergo a final review to verify legal accuracy, user experience quality, and document formatting. Only then are they published to the platform. Each published template includes a “Last updated” date reflecting its most recent review.
Country-Specific Standards
United States
- Federal and state statute references
- UCC compliance where applicable
- State-specific disclosure requirements
- USD currency and imperial measurements
- American English spelling conventions
- 50-state governing law provisions
Canada
- Federal and provincial legislation references
- PIPEDA, CASL, CBCA compliance
- Provincial employment standards (ESA)
- CAD currency and metric measurements
- Canadian English spelling conventions
- 13 province/territory governing law options
Updates & Corrections
Laws change. We are committed to keeping our templates current:
- Templates are reviewed and updated when relevant laws or regulations change
- Our QA system automatically flags templates that reference outdated statutes
- Users can report inaccuracies through our contact form
- All updates are tracked with version dates visible on each template page
Content Integrity
We maintain strict editorial standards:
- No paid placements: Template recommendations are based on relevance, never on commercial arrangements
- Transparent limitations: We clearly state that our templates are for informational purposes and recommend professional legal counsel for complex matters
- Source attribution: Legal references cite specific statutes, codes, and case law
- Unique content: Each country variant contains genuinely different legal content — not translations or find-and-replace adaptations
Questions About Our Process?
If you have questions about how our templates are created, notice an inaccuracy, or would like to suggest an improvement, please contact us. We welcome feedback from legal professionals and users alike to help us maintain the highest standards of accuracy and reliability.