Five Things to Prepare for When Meeting with your Divorce Lawyer
After much thought and introspection, you have determined that it is time to file for a divorce. As a husband, wife, mother, or father, you have many concerns regarding your legal rights concerning alimony, child support and visitation as well as division of assets and debts.
1.)In the preliminary stages of a divorce process, the ultimate key is to ask any questions that come to mind and constantly stay informed. You are paying for your lawyer’s expertise, and you have the right to know all aspects of your divorce process. Some questions you should ask are timing, the scope and the overall process of the divorce. Additionally, other concerns are alimony issues, child custody and whether you possibly might have to appear and testify.
2. The next phase is formulating a plan and determining what your objectives are for the divorce. Your focus should not be on punishing your spouse for all the pain and suffering you feel that he/she has given you over the years. If you approach the divorce with this bitterness, it could likely jeopardize the entire process. It will cost you a lot more, and you could lose custody of your children as well.
3. The third step of the process is documenting your assets, liabilities, and property in order to present them to your attorney expeditiously. Other documents to include are tax returns, mortgage statements, and retirement account balances.
4. Also, you should compile any personal documents that outline your marriage history such as marriage date, birth dates of any children, joint purchases, etc. If there has been a history of drug or alcohol abuse or verbal or domestic violence, that should be presented to your attorney and should include dates, emails, other forms of correspondence and anyone who can serve as a potential witness confirming your claims.
5. Once your lawyer has all the information at their disposal, they can prepare a strategy in order to produce the best outcome. Remember, do not withhold any details which could help or hurt your case. Be upfront with you lawyer during the entire process even if the facts are painful.
If these five steps are followed, it will increase the likelihood of a positive outcome for everyone concerned. These will allow open communicaton with your San Diego Divorce Lawyer.
