How to Help Your Divorce Lawyer Help You
Our goal is to help your divorce proceed with the least amount of stress and difficulty. We know our business, but regarding your particular case, we only know what you tell us. There are things you can do to help everything run smoothly.
So, how can you make your divorce easy?
First: We need to know your goals as well as certain personal information. What are you hoping to gain from the divorce? Full custody? Child support? Spousal Support? The business? Certain property items? A clear wishlist at the beginning will help us strategize.
Do you or your spouse have any medical issues, either mental or physical? Are you both U.S. citizens, or could divorce affect legal status in the country? Do you have any pre- or post-nuptial agreements or any lawsuits pending? These details and issues might affect settlement.
Second: Timeliness is crucial. Please be sure to provide us with the necessary documents or answers to questions we may ask as quickly as possible so that we can keep your case moving forward. Sometimes our schedule will be set to keep your process moving forward while other times the courts have a set calendar we must follow.
Third: Keep in touch. There will be periods of lull in the proceedings; we will reach out to you to keep you informed or request further information, but check in regularly if you would like a real-time update.
Fourth: Provide documentation. We will provide a list of documents that we need from you, but if you come to your first appointment equipped with some documentation, things may go much more smoothly. Here is a summary of the kinds of items we will need:
- Statements from banks and other financial institutions
- Tax returns and supporting documents
- Bills, loans, mortgages
- Insurance policies
- Wills or living wills
- Titles on property owned
- Financial information about any businesses owned
- List of property owned singly or jointly, including jewelry, furniture, and other items, with listed value
- Any correspondence you think is pertinent: letters, emails, texts, or social media posts
In summary, help us help you by providing documents or answers that we need, meeting deadlines, and keeping in touch.
