What should I do before meeting with a divorce lawyer?

When you have scheduled a meeting with a divorce, dissolution, or custody lawyer, you should take some time to prepare in advance to make the most of your time together.

For your first step, you should take a breath. If you seek a lawyer for a divorce or post-divorce issue, you probably have a lot of issues to manage in your personal life and a great number of questions about a new and unknown issue. Seeking a lawyer to help you manage this process is a good idea because they can remove some uncertainty and develop a plan for you.​

Your second step should be to think about a few issues in the week leading up to the appointment:

One issue you should consider is what sort of legal need you believe you have. If you are on our firm’s website, you probably need counsel for a divorce (or post-divorce matter); but give the matter thought and clearly identify what you believe you need. This gives you a way to articulate what you seek from the lawyer and the lawyer can provide a better estimate of the timeframe and cost for your matter. 

Another issue to consider is the the kind of lawyer you believe you want. Lawyers come in a variety of types. Some are focused on themselves, others their clients. Some are focused on litigating a case to a painful end, others encourage settlement when possible, and still others try to settle every case to avoid court at all costs. Some are willing to consider new ideas, others consider only their “tried and true” methods. The list can go on for pages and pages. It is beneficial for you to have some idea of the lawyer you need and want so you can gauge whether you are meeting with a lawyer who can live up to your expectations.

And, a final issue to is the kind of resolution you want from your case. This allows you to explain your expectations to the lawyer. You can hear the lawyer’s impressions, you can consider issues you might not have thought of, and you can consider other outcomes worth considering from the lawyer’s perspective. 

Your third step is assembling information about your family. It will be helpful to be able to provide some general information to the lawyer during your consultation, and it will be required at least shortly after you retain counsel. This information includes:
the marriage (for instance: date, location)
the occupations and salaries
the children involved with the family
financial accounts (checking accounts, stocks, etc…)
vehicles owned
land or homes owned
business assets the family owns in whole or in part
pets
loans and the status of those loans.

Your fourth and final step should be to begin assembling documents discussing this information above, because the documents will likely be needed early in your case. Some of the documentation you should start assembling is:
Any prior divorce or dissolution orders
Income tax returns
Any financial information for a business owned in whole or in part by a member of the family
Partnership tax returns
Bank statements
Brokerage statements
Children’s bank account statements

If you do not have this documentation available for your first meeting, don’t cancel the meeting - you can always provide the documents after the meeting if you engage the lawyer. If you are ready to move forward with that process, we ask you to consider using our services. You can reach us through the “Contact” link above.


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Disclaimer: All articles and blog posts are for informational purposes only. This information was current as of the date above. The information does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for hiring an attorney to review your specific legal issue. By reading this blog site you understand that there is no attorney-client relationship between you and The Fogelman Law Firm LLC. To form an attorney client relationship, you must contact us, appear for a consultation, and sign a retention agreement before this firm will represent you.

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