How do you obtain complaint forms?

Answer 1

1. Civil: Complaints for certain types of lawsuits may be available at the courthouse in your area because your state's statutes and/or court rules may have established the formats. This may include things like eviction lawsuits and some kinds of debt collection matters. Complaints for more complex lawsuits can be found in form books that are available at law libraries (usually in the courthouse building but some public libraries also may have some). But most complex lawsuits require specific kinds of statements that a form will not cover, and most states have requirements for what kinds of statements must be in the complaint, so form books are helpful but not final. And then again state courts and federal courts have different requirements and rules. For instance, filing for bankruptcy requires its own kind of format.

2. Criminal: To file a criminal complaint (sometimes called an "information") you would need to contact either the police or the criminal prosecutor in your area (usually called either a State's Attorney or District Attorney).