how to prepare for a consultation with a divorce lawyer

by Maynard Hudson 7 min read

7 Tips To Help You Prepare For An Initial Consultation With a Divorce Lawyer

  • Learn about Your Options for Getting Divorced. ...
  • Understand the Issues that Will Require Resolution During Your Divorce. ...
  • Copy Your Financial & Property Records. ...
  • Think about What You Want from Your Divorce. ...
  • Make a List of Other Considerations or Circumstances that May Impact Your Divorce. ...

Full Answer

What are the best questions to ask a divorce lawyer?

  • We match 50,000 consumers with lawyers every month.
  • Our service is 100% free of charge.
  • Nolo is a part of the Martindale Nolo network, which has been matching clients with attorneys for 100+ years.

What questions should I ask at a divorce consultation?

Questions That You Should Ask the Attorney. When you visit the attorney’s office, it is important for you to find out as much as you can about the attorney, the process, and other details of the divorce process that you need to know about. To find everything you need to know, you need to prepare a list of questions to ask the divorce lawyer.

How to evaluate a good divorce attorney?

These are some questions to ask when you are evaluating an attorney:

  • How long have you practiced this type of law? ...
  • How many cases of this type have you handled in the last six months? ...
  • What are your fees? ...
  • What are the court fees? ...
  • How much do you think a case like mine would cost? ...
  • Can a payment plan be worked out? ...
  • What are the chances of my spouse paying some of my legal fees? ...
  • Do you provide a written contract? ...

More items...

What to discuss with your divorce lawyer?

What to Discuss With Your Divorce Lawyer

  • Child-Related Issues. Obviously, this will not apply if you and your spouse have no kids together, but if you do, this will likely be at the forefront of your mind.
  • Asset Division. If a couple has no children, then their main issue will likely be asset division. ...
  • Alimony. ...
  • Documents to Have Ready. ...
  • Seek Legal Help. ...

image

How do you start a conversation with a divorce lawyer?

10 things to bring to your initial consultation with a divorce...Prepare your Schedule of Assets and Debts. ... Prepare your Income and Expense Declaration. ... Prepare a list of questions you want to ask the divorce lawyer. ... Tax Returns. ... Self-employment documents. ... List out the relevant facts about your case.More items...•

Should I shop around for a divorce lawyer?

1. You Should Shop Around When Choosing a Divorce Lawyer. When lawyers offer a consultation, they usually hope that the person they are meeting with will retain them. From a financial standpoint, it is obviously desirable for the prospective client to write that retainer check before leaving the office.

What should I ask for in my divorce?

5 Things To Make Sure Are Included In Your Divorce SettlementA detailed parenting-time schedule—including holidays! ... Specifics about support. ... Life insurance. ... Retirement accounts and how they will be divided. ... A plan for the sale of the house.

How do I prepare my initial consultation with a divorce attorney in Texas?

This first meeting is crucial to the process of divorce in Texas.Relax. ... Be Prepared to Ask Questions. ... Gather Important Financial Documents. ... Be Ready to Discuss Personal Details about Your Life. ... Make a List of Your Goals In Divorce.

How much money wife gets after divorce?

If the alimony is being paid on a monthly basis, the Supreme Court of India has set 25% of the husband's net monthly salary as the benchmark amount that should be granted to the wife. There is no such benchmark for one-time settlement, but usually, the amount ranges between 1/5th to 1/3rd of the husband's net worth.

How do I get the most out of my divorce?

6 Divorce Tactics to Win a CaseEstablishing a Solid Defence. In highly contested divorces, both spouses will have a reason why they believe the courts should agree in their favor. ... Forming an Attack Theory. ... Building a Compelling Story. ... Dissipating Any Anger. ... Rehabilitating Your Client. ... Negotiating the Agreement.

Why moving out is the biggest mistake in a divorce?

You Can Damage Your Child Custody Claim One of the most significant ways moving out can influence your divorce is when it comes to child custody. If you move out, it means you don't spend as much time with your kids. Not only can this harm your relationship, but it can also damage your custody claim.

What can a wife claim in a divorce?

Assets that you have built up or acquired during the period of marriage are known as matrimonial assets or marital assets. These typically include property, pensions, savings, personal belongings, and cash in the bank.

Who loses more in a divorce?

Marriage is connected to a longer lifespan for both men and women. While both genders see a rise in deaths following divorce, the rate for men is 1,773 per 100,000, compared to 1,096 for women.

How do I prepare for a divorce in PA?

10 Steps You Should Take To Prepare For Divorce In PennsylvaniaCancel all joint credit accounts. ... Close joint bank and investment accounts. ... Change your direct deposit and cancel automatic deductions from bank accounts. ... Secure important and/or valuable personal property. ... Secure all important financial documentation.More items...

What Can I expect at My Divorce Consultation?

In general, meeting with a divorce lawyer will include learning about the details of your specific situation, explaining the divorce, custody and support law and processes in Pennsylvania, and discussing options for moving forward to help you best prepare for divorce, the divorce process and your life after the divorce.

Should I Tell My Divorce Lawyer Everything?

It is critically important that you are forthright and open with your attorney. In order for your attorney to provide you with the best possible representation, full disclosure is required. Conversations between you and the attorney are confidential.

Questions A Divorce Lawyer Will Ask at the First Meeting

There are many questions a lawyer will ask during your initial consultation to gain an understanding of your case. A lawyer may provide you with a divorce checklist in advance of your first meeting so that you can organize your information and be most prepared. Some of the lawyer’s questions will be:

How to Find a Good Lawyer?

In hiring a lawyer to represent you, you should find a lawyer with a strong reputation who regularly practices in the county in which your case will be heard. Many times people want to seek out the most aggressive lawyer they can find but that doesn’t always yield the best result.

How to prepare for divorce?

2. Prepare your Income and Expense Declaration. The Income and Expense Declaration is the other document included in the Declaration of Disclosure. The IED includes the party’s income, expenses, and must include recent pay stubs of the person filling out the form. 3. Prepare a list of questions you want to ask the divorce lawyer.

Why do you need an extra copy of a divorce decree?

Documents and evidence that might be important. Often times dissolution of marriage cases are filed because one or both spouses were not acting properly toward the other party or the children of the marriage.

How to contact divorce attorney in Irvine?

If you have an initial consultation with our divorce law office in Irvine, feel free to call us in advance at (949) 955-9155 and we will email the form to you. 8. Information about the other party.

What is the most important document in a divorce in California?

The Schedule of Assets and Debts is one of the most important documents in any California divorce case. Every party in every divorce case in California has to complete this form before their dissolution of marriage will be granted by the court.

Does attorney-client privilege extend to third parties?

However, this attorney-client privilege does not extend to third parties, including anyone you may bring with you to a consultation. A third party who is privy to confidential attorney-client communication may be asked under oath (in a deposition, for example) what the client and attorney discussed and will have to answer.

Can an attorney give advice to an unrepresented spouse?

The attorney who drafted the agreement for his or her client cannot give the other , unrepresented spouse any legal advice or answer any of their questions about the documents offered other than to recommend if they have such questions they should get their own attorney.

Why is it important to ask questions during divorce?

Asking questions can also help you gain a better understanding of what to expect in your case.

Is divorce easy for kids?

Divorce isn't easy for anyone involved—but it can be especially difficult for your children. When preparing for your divorce consultation, consider discussing with the attorney how you can put them first throughout the process.

What You Should Expect at a Divorce Consultation

You already that you will be doing most of the talking since the case revolve around you. The divorce attorney will ask you for some information. Here are some of the details that the lawyer will ask you for during the initial consultations for the divorce meeting.

What You Should Bring to Your Initial Consultation

One of the things that you should do to be well prepared for the initial consultation is to bring documentation with you. The documentation will help the attorney to have an easier time evaluating your case.

Questions That You Should Ask the Attorney

When you visit the attorney’s office, it is important for you to find out as much as you can about the attorney, the process, and other details of the divorce process that you need to know about. To find everything you need to know, you need to prepare a list of questions to ask the divorce lawyer.

Are Meetings With Lawyers Confidential?

Most potential clients who go to an initial divorce consultation are not sure if they want a divorce. Potential clients want to understand what to expect if they choose to go ahead with the process. The law protects attorney-client communication. This means that the client’s right to privacy is well defined and should be preserved.

Why start with a consultation?

Going through and filing for divorce almost always requires the help of a qualified lawyer. And since the attorney will need to know details about your personal life, it’s essential to find one that is the right fit for your legal needs. Plan on scheduling a few consultations with each of the divorce attorneys you’re considering.

Tax Returns

Tax documentation is necessary for the attorney to get a glimpse at your overall financial situation. This is especially helpful in estimating child support or alimony that you may qualify to receive or be required to pay.

Pay Stubs

Gather the last three months’ worth of pay stubs for both you and your spouse. This documentation can be helpful in the event that you and your spouse file separate tax returns or if your financial situation has changed compared to the last time you filed taxes.

Legal Documents Pertaining to Your Marriage

It’s important for your attorney to know about any other legal documents pertaining to your marriage.

Potentially Incriminating Evidence

While sharing potentially incriminating evidence about yourself or your spouse may make you feel uneasy, your divorce attorney needs to know what you’re up against in your case. If there is any evidence that could potentially be used against you or your spouse, bring this with you to your consultation.

What to ask during your consultation

Whether you’ve gone through a divorce before or not, there may be some questions you have about your case.

Divorce Lawyer in Mt. Juliet, Hermitage, and Nashville

Getting divorced is rarely a pleasant journey, and it helps to have the right divorce attorney on your side. Start by scheduling a complimentary consultation with the Law Office of Yancy Belcher. Yancy Belcher has been a practicing attorney in Middle Tennessee for more than 20 years.

image