Legal document tools
Some legal documents are routine enough to complete from a template. Many are not. This directory explains the narrow situation each document is built for, points to our own guide where we have written one, and says plainly when the situation calls for a lawyer instead. Halstonberg publishes information, not legal advice, and cannot tell you which document your circumstances require.
Business documents
Agreements that set out how a company is owned and governed, and how work gets commissioned.
LLC operating agreement
You have formed an LLC, or are about to, and need the internal rules written down: ownership percentages, profit splits, voting, and what happens when a member exits.
What an operating agreement has to cover
When a lawyer is the better route. Unequal capital contributions, outside investors, or an existing disagreement about control.
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Independent contractor agreement
You are engaging someone outside payroll and need scope, payment terms, and ownership of the resulting work recorded.
Contractor vs employee classification
When a lawyer is the better route. Misclassification exposure is real and expensive; if the role looks like employment, get advice first.
Non-disclosure agreement
You are sharing something confidential and want the recipient bound before you disclose it.
When a lawyer is the better route. Trade-secret-critical disclosures and cross-border parties.
Buy-sell agreement
Co-owners want to fix in advance what happens to an ownership stake on death, exit, or falling-out.
When a lawyer is the better route. Valuation method and funding mechanics are where these fail; both merit counsel.
Rental documents
Documents for setting up a tenancy. Nothing here is for a dispute already underway; that is not template territory.
Residential lease agreement
You are renting out a property and need the term, rent, deposit, and duties recorded.
When a lawyer is the better route. Rent-stabilised units and cities with their own ordinances; local rules routinely override a generic form.
Rental application
You are screening prospective tenants and need consistent information from each applicant.
When a lawyer is the better route. Screening triggers FCRA and fair-housing obligations. Get the process reviewed before you use it.
Roommate agreement
Co-occupants want rent shares, deposits, and household duties written down between themselves.
When a lawyer is the better route. It binds only the roommates. It does not alter the lease or bind the landlord.
Estate planning documents
Documents that direct what happens to your property, and who decides for you, if you cannot.
Last will and testament
You want to choose who inherits, name an executor, and name a guardian for minor children rather than leaving it to your state’s intestacy formula.
What happens if you die without a will
When a lawyer is the better route. Blended families, a taxable estate, property in several states, a beneficiary with a disability, or any expectation of a challenge.
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Power of attorney
You want someone authorised to handle financial or legal matters if you cannot.
When a lawyer is the better route. Any question about capacity, or family already in conflict over who should hold it.
Living will / health care directive
You want your medical treatment preferences recorded before they are needed.
When a lawyer is the better route. Execution formalities vary by state and a defective directive may simply be ignored.
Family agreements
Agreements between people who already agree. Anything contested belongs with a lawyer, not a form.
Prenuptial agreement
You want property and support treated a particular way if the marriage ends.
What a prenup can and cannot do
When a lawyer is the better route. Many states will not enforce one unless each party had independent counsel. This is the document most likely to fail when self-drafted.
Separation agreement
Separating spouses who agree on terms want them recorded.
When a lawyer is the better route. Any contested issue, or where one spouse knows more about the finances than the other.
Parenting plan
Co-parents who agree want a schedule and decision-making split written down.
When a lawyer is the better route. Courts apply a best-interests standard and are not bound by your document. Contested custody needs representation.
Intellectual-property documents
Documents that move or license rights in creative and commercial work.
Copyright assignment
Ownership of a copyright needs to transfer from the creator to someone else.
When a lawyer is the better route. Statutory termination rights can unwind an assignment decades later.
Licensing agreement
You want to permit someone to use your work on defined terms without giving up ownership.
When a lawyer is the better route. Exclusivity, royalty structures, and territory carry commercial risk worth reviewing.