First Consultation With Lawyer: What To Bring
What to Bring with You on Your First Consultation And/or Meeting with Your Divorce Lawyer
Maybe you’re separated. Maybe you’ve been thinking of possibly separating. Maybe you just want out… Or maybe, after a fight, you’ve told yourself, “This is our list fight.” Maybe you’ve Googled ‘Should I get divorced?’ Maybe you’ve already found a divorce lawyer. Maybe you’ve fallen head-over-heels (or sneakers!) for someone else.
No matter which step of the process you’re at, you’ve decided you want your marriage to end. That end will invariably involve a divorce lawyer. And this article will tell you what to bring to that very first meeting with your divorce lawyer.
Documents to Bring
What documents are we talking about? These documents may include tax returns, pay stubs, mortgage statements, bank statements, a draft list of assets and/or liabilities— in other words, anything that will help your lawyer understand your financial status.
Oh, and if you and your soon-to-be-ex did sign a prenuptial agreement, a copy of that as well.
If you are divorced, and the issues you are experiencing are post-divorce matters, helpful documents may include the property or the marital settlement agreement, any Orders from the Court, and any custody or parenting time agreement you have.
In either case, a short summary of the events that lead to this point is extremely useful, as well as a list of any preliminary questions you may have. Remember, your divorce lawyer is there to help you navigate this process, and no question is too simple to ask.
What Else to Bring?
Two or three things to bring to this meeting that aren’t pieces of paper, however; they’re your sense of forgiveness— and your sense of patience (and humor, if you can!).
Forgiveness, because you may be blaming yourself for standing in a divorce lawyer’s office to begin with. Well, no one goes into a marriage thinking it will end, and no matter what your age, you’ve got a lot of living left to do! So, whether you have it right away, or it takes therapy, time and a cup of tea or glass of wine, forgive yourself for anything you may perceive as your mistakes along the way.
Patience, because the divorce process is long, and often unwieldy— it takes patience to remember that there is an end to this chapter of your life.
And humor— if you can— because while divorce is often a painful, difficult, and laborious process, like anything in life a laugh may be found if you look for it. If you can learn to laugh at yourself it will make the divorce process more bearable.
So, gather up these documents and keep a positive attitude— a better life is waiting for you on the other side of this journey! If you’re thinking of divorce in New Jersey, then contacting a divorce lawyer in Englewood Cliffs, NJ from a firm like Lesnevich, Marzano-Lesnevich, O’Cathain & O’Cathain, LLC, may be beneficial to you.