While lawyers and judges are the ultimate legal experts, of course, I believe that every citizen should take the time to learn a little about law for several reasons. First, it is important to know your rights, and knowing them can come in handy if anyone ever accuses you of a crime you didn't commit or threatens you legally in another other way. Second, learning about your local, state, and federal laws can help you act as a better citizen. When election time comes around, you can then truly understand ever change in law being proposed by a candidate and whether it benefits society or not. I plan to share posts about law topics explained in plain English on my new blog, so you can come back often to sharpen your legal knowledge!
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Personal Injury Law: Navigating the Path to Compensation 7 February 2024
Everyone Should Learn a Little about Law
How To Prepare For The Initial Consultation With Your Divorce Lawyer
Kaylee Wells
Making the decision to visit a divorce lawyer will not obligate you to file, but it can be a good way to find out answers to the questions you have. If you just called and scheduled an initial consultation visit with a divorce lawyer and want to get the most out of this meeting, you may want to prepare for the meeting by completing the following two tasks.
Make a list of all your questions
Preparing what you will say when you first sit down with the lawyer is an important step in the process, and having a list of questions with you can also be helpful. A lot of lawyers offer free consultation visits to people considering divorce, and these visits are designed to help individuals find out the details of how a divorce would work if they decided to go through with it. Your list can include as many questions as you have; however, you may only have one hour to visit with the attorney, so you should be certain to ask the most important questions first.
The questions you ask will be unique to your situation; however, there are some standard types of questions a lot of people ask when they initially meet with a divorce lawyer. Here are some that you may want to include on your list:
- How much will this cost?
- How long will it take?
- What are you both entitled to?
- How does child custody and support work?
- What happens if one spouse owns a business?
- What challenges might be encountered?
Bring important documents with you
Before you visit the lawyer, you should also gather important documents to bring with you to the meeting. These documents could be helpful for the lawyer when answering the questions you have, and here are some types of documents you may want to bring with you:
- Income information – You should bring pay stubs, business reports, and tax returns to this meeting. These documents can provide a good idea of each spouse's income, and this could help the attorney determine the approximate amount of child support you would have to pay or that you would receive.
- Asset information – Bringing in a list of all the assets you own, as well as the debts, could help you understand what type of settlement you would receive through the divorce.
- Evidence that your spouse is an unfit parent – If you believe there will be a fight for custody rights, and if your spouse has issues (such as an addiction), you could bring in documentation to prove this.
With these documents, you might be able to get a better picture of how a divorce would turn out if you proceed with it. To learn more about this, contact a divorce attorney today.
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