When you talk with a lawyer for the first time, you need to have some information ready in order to get the most out of the consultation. The key facts the lawyer will need to know will concern children and money. If you have children, they will want to know if you and your spouse are in agreement about how to handle custody and visitation. If you have disagreements, they will want to know what they are. With respect to money, they will need to know what you each makes, what assets you have and what debts you owe.
For your house, the most recent city appraisal and the most recent mortgage statements are very helpful. If you have a second mortgage or home equity line of credit, the most recent statement you have received is very helpful as well. The same goes for any brokerage and cash accounts you have. That includes IRA and other retirement accounts.
For your vehicles, the most recent statement for the notes and the Kelly Blue Book or NADA values are very helpful. If you have credit card debt, the most recent statements for those accounts are very helpful as well.
Do you have to have all these documents for your initial consultation? No, you don’t. But if you do, you will get a lot more out of it. Your lawyer will have a clear picture of your marital finances and will be able to give you some ideas about what is likely to happen if the case goes to trial and how you might settle it.
Have a lot of people come to me with all this documentation already gathered? No. It’s actually pretty unusual. But the people who did have a good grip on their finances saved money in legal fees because they had done a lot of the work for me.
If you have already signed a separation agreement, you should provide the lawyer with a copy of it. If you have been negotiating and have traded proposals, you should have the lawyer review the last offer you made and the last one you received from the other side.
Adultery can be important if the cheating spouse wants to receive spousal support. It can also be useful if the parties are not able to agree about child custody. Apart from those situations, adultery will likely be a minor issue. The lawyer will likely ask if either party has been unfaithful but the issue is very often not important to the case.
If a divorce case has already been filed, the lawyer will need to see the complaint, your answer, and any orders that have been made by the court.
