What to Bring to Your Divorce Consultation

A divorce consultation can be overwhelming. Your attorney will want to give you a lot of information on how Indiana law works, including, but not limited to, legal and physical custody, calculating child support, division of assets and liabilities and temporary payment of liabilities while the marriage is pending. You should bring all information, relevant to your case, to meet with your attorney for the first time. Here is a list of items that you should bring to your consultation so that your attorney can advise your properly.

· Court pleadings. During your consultation, the attorney you meet with will want to review any pleadings filed with the Court by the opposing party. The attorney will want to see what relief the opposing party is requesting and will advise you of how to prepare going forward. There may be an “Order to Appear” and the attorney will want to go over what will happen at that hearing.

· Prenuptial Agreement. A prenuptial agreement will affect how your assets and liabilities are divided. The attorney will want to review the prenuptial agreement to advise you accordingly.

· Financial Information. The attorney will most likely want to review your assets and liabilities to give you an idea of how property and debt will be divided. It is also helpful for the attorney to know your monthly payments such as mortgage/rent, utilities, car payments, credit cards, etc., so that they can see what is needed on a preliminary basis while the divorce is pending.

· Any documents relating to child custody. You may have helpful school records or a custody evaluation. You should bring these so that the attorney will have a chance to review it and decide the best way to proceed.

· A list of questions. It can be helpful if you write your questions down prior to the consultation so that you don’t forget to ask the things that are important and unique to your case.

At Hollingsworth & Zivitz, P.C., our team has the experience, the understanding, and the compassion to assist with your family law needs. If you have questions or concerns regarding divorce, custody, support, or any other family law concerns contact our firm at 317.569.2200 or hzlegal.com.