Making the difficult decision to seek legal counsel in a family matter is already incredibly stressful. To then add on to it the anxiety of trying to figure out where to start, can make the entire process feel entirely overwhelming. Thus, in an effort to attempt to ease some of the anxiety where we can please allow this to be your "quick start" guide to the family law process.
The first step is to call our offices and set up a consultation appointment. This is an hour long appointment where we can discuss the process, expectations, options, strategy and desired outcomes, as well as answer whatever questions you may have. However, our ability to do that is only as good as the information we are provided with. There are a few items you can bring with you to the appointment or provide in advance, which can allow us to be as comprehensive as possible during these consultation meetings. None of it is required, but it is very useful to have on hand. These documents are as follows:
- Any legal documents you have been served with, received or filed: People come into a consultation at every point in the process. Some are in stages where they are still only considering moving forward, while other have already been served with a summons or Court papers. You are the latter and have already received documents, please bring them with you so we can have an accurate idea of time frames, deadlines and any court dates.
- Prior legal documents: if you are seeking a modification or amendment of a prior order or agreement, please be sure you bring that prior Order or Agreement with you.
- Recent Tax Returns: Many of the issues we deal with are financial, so having an idea of what everyone is earning is useful. If you do not have this information available, then we can give you broad estimates, but the more specific we can be the better. Two to three years, if available is ideal.
- Information on debts: part of the divorce process is addressing outstanding debts and apportioning them in a fair and reasonable way. In order to do that, we need to know what is out there, so as much information as we can get regarding mortgage balances, car payments, credit cards, etc. is helpful.
- Any other documents you think might be relevant: this can include text messages, photos, police reports, social media, recordings, etc. you name it- I have seen it.
It is also imperative to take some time to reflect on access your spouse/partner (or former spouse/partner) may have to your information. Often times potential clients that come in for a consultation want the fact that they are coming in, very, very private. This can be for a variety of reasons, including in extreme cases, safety. Be sure that email accounts are fully password protected, and you are signed out of any account on a shared device. Phones should be locked with a passcode that is unknown to anyone else. Any charges to a joint credit card or bank account will appear, so sometimes cash is better. If you have any reason to think you are being tracked by a GPS system or on your phone, please call the office in advance to discuss.
Finally, if there are other questions or concerns always, always feel free to ask. Nothing is off limits and with our experience it would be highly unlikely that it is anything we have not dealt with before.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
