The Washington forms arsenal
The judiciary publishes real pattern forms, free — and where this platform's own lane is not built, the status says so with the gate named. Nothing here pretends.
Washington Courts pattern forms (courts.wa.gov/forms)
OFFICIAL · FREEThe judiciary's own published forms — family, protection-order, garnishment, and more. Free, official, and the first stop for a self-represented litigant.
Protection-order forms (ch. 7.105 RCW lane)
OFFICIAL · FREEGR 24(b)(6) expressly permits protection-order assistance as authorized by chapter 7.105 RCW — the safety lane routes to the official forms and advocates.
Platform document assembler
NOT BUILT — the gate is namedSelecting, drafting, or completing legal documents for another is the practice of law in Washington (GR 24(a)(2)). The deterministic assembler stays dormant until WA_ENTITY_PILOT_AUTHORIZED — the WSBA Entity Regulation Pilot is the lawful doorway, and the founder's authorization is the one key.
The courts' catalog: courts.wa.gov/forms → (opens in a new tab) · The formatter's gate, honestly: /wa/served →
Wash. GR 14 (Format for Pleadings and Other Papers) — what the rule itself requires
- “The use of letter-size paper (8-1/2 by 11 inches) is mandatory” — Letter paper, mandatory.
- “The top margin of the first page shall be a minimum of three inches, the bottom margin shall be a minimum of one inch and the side margins shall be a minimum of one inch” — THE THREE-INCH first-page top margin — the fleet's biggest — with one-inch bottom and sides.
- “All subsequent pages shall have a minimum of one inch margins” — One-inch margins on every later page.
- “Papers filed shall not include any colored pages, highlighting or other colored markings” — No colored pages, highlighting, or colored markings — black-and-white paper.
- “The writing or printing shall appear on only one side of the page” — Single-sided.
GR 14 sets no statewide font floor. These editions use 12-point type as a PRACTICE default — not a rule command — while enforcing GR 14's real numbers mechanically: the three-inch first-page top, one-inch margins elsewhere, single-sided monochrome pages. CR 10(e)'s format RECOMMENDATIONS (clerk-stamp space, bottom notations, typed names) are recommendations, and the registry says so.
The pleading anatomy, from the rules: The caption: court name, title of the action, file number if known, and what the paper is. Pure comparative fault: the listed contributory-negligence defense diminishes damages — it does not bar recovery (and last clear chance is disregarded). THE WASHINGTON DEFENSE: nonparty fault (CR 8(c) lists it) must be affirmatively pleaded — with the nonparty's identity if known. The clock: “Within 20 days, exclusive of the day of service, after the service of the summons and complaint upon the defendant.” And the commencement trap, from RCW 4.16.170: “the action shall be deemed to not have been commenced for purposes of tolling the statute of limitations.”
The kit lane and GR 24 — the rule's own carve-outs
- “Selection, drafting, or completion of legal documents or agreements which affect the legal rights of an entity or person(s)” — Selection, drafting, or completion of legal documents for another IS the practice of law — the reason the assembler gates.
- “Sale of legal forms in any format” — GR 24(b)(8) expressly PERMITS the sale of legal forms in any format — the carve-out a blank-forms kit line lives under.
- “Nothing in this rule shall affect the ability of a person or entity to provide information of a general nature about the law and legal procedures to members of the public” — GR 24(d) preserves general legal information to the public.
The Washington kit line is built and dark — deliberately. GR 24(b)(8) permits the sale of legal forms in any format, and this platform still holds the line dark until the entity-pilot authorization is in hand — the stricter posture by choice. Until then: SHOW, EDUCATE, ROUTE — the doctrine cards above are public and free, and a licensed Washington attorney can help with anything that calls for judgment.
These editions follow the statewide scheme — GR 14's stated format numbers, CR 10's caption anatomy, and CR 11's signature requirements, each quoted from the rules' own text. Washington's counties publish REAL additional requirements in local rules (and King County alone reshapes motion practice), and the September rule waves amend the statewide rules themselves. Before any filing, verify the county's local rules and the assigned judge's published procedures — our county and judge procedure pages, powered by BenchPath (benchpath.ai), are built for exactly that check.
TrialVector is software, not a lawyer and not a law firm, and is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. It provides information of a general nature about the law and legal procedures — not legal advice — and forms no attorney-client relationship.