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How to Prepare for Your First Meeting with a Divorce Attorney

How to Prepare for Your First Meeting with a Divorce Attorney

            After months of struggling in your marriage or after finding out that your spouse has filed for divorce you make the call to set up an appointment with a divorce attorney. You are upset and emotional and rightfully so. You never thought your marriage would come to this. You have made a good decision, however, to find out your legal rights. To get the most out of your first meeting, you should come prepared. Bring recent pay stubs from both your job and your spouse’s job, your most recent tax records, your mortgage information and your deed, your most recent bank statements and all of your credit card information and statements from any vehicles you are making payments on. Try to gather all of your financial documents because this will help your attorney determine what is in the marital estate. Your attorney will walk you through all of the documents you will need to gather in the coming months, but if you bring the most important documents with you to the initial meeting, your attorney will be able to get a better picture of the marital assets and he or she will be able to give you better information on your legal rights.

            Along with the financial documents, it is important to come to the initial meeting and all subsequent meetings with questions for your attorney. It is best to write down your questions so you do not forget any of them. For most people, this is the first time they have had a legal consultation and many people are nervous. If you bring your written questions, your attorney will be able to address some of your fears and he or she will be able to give you better advice based on what is important to you. Every person is different and it is difficult to address every legal possibility in one meeting. If your attorney knows what is important to you, he or she will be able to work toward making this difficult time less stressful and more productive. Do your homework before you go to your initial consultation and you will get the most information for your money.

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