A lis pendens is a legal notice filed with the county to notify the public including any potential buyers that a property has a pending lawsuit against it. A lis pendens is the first filing made during the foreclosure process.Barron's Dictionary of Real Estate Terms defines Lis Pendens as Latin for suit pending. Lis pendens is a longstanding, frequently misunderstood doctrine concerning unorthodox interests in real estate. A lis pendens ("suit pending") is a document which notifies everyone that there is a lawsuit pending regarding a given piece of real estate. Yes you are going to have to draft the documents. It is not as simple as just filing a lien lis pendens. A lis pendens is not a mechanics lien, but it is often required as part of the lien process. Remember that a lis pendens is a notice of a pending lawsuit. Generally, a private lender can file a lis pendens on property that is collateral for his loan if the loan is in default.