Important Information to Provide During Research of Divorce Lawyers

It can be a difficult time when you are consulting with divorce lawyers and attempting to choose the one that is right for you. It is important to understand, however, that you can make the process easier for yourself and any divorce lawyers with which you consult if you have everything you need the first time you contact a divorce lawyer. Many divorce lawyers offer free initial consultations, and you will find it much easier to make a decision if you come prepared. None of the divorce lawyers will be able to provide you any kind of reasonable quote unless you have the paperwork necessary for him or her to at least gain some kind of knowledge into your individual situation.
Divorce lawyers need to see all of your financial records including but not limited to the following:
• Bank statements (checking, savings, CDs)
• Investment accounts
• Retirement funds
• Income tax returns
• Deeds to all property
• Listing of all joint debtsr
Individual divorce lawyers may ask for more information once they take your case, but this information is a good starting point. You will also need to provide information about your children and in the case of a stay-at-home mom, this information is necessary in order to assess future employment potential. The ability of a stay-at-home mom to secure employment has a significant impact on how much alimony or spousal support she may be awarded by the court. In some states the spouse earning the most money will have to pay the alimony or spousal support, but in most states this burden falls on the husband.
Divorce lawyers on both sides will need to have proof of any and all pre-nuptial agreements that may be in existence. You may also need to provide a copy of your marriage license and the birth certificates of your children as proof for the court. While it is not normal that a spouse will attempt to contest the validity of the marriage or pate
ity of the children, it does sometimes happen, so you need to be prepared.
If there is a retirement fund or 401K Plan to which you may be entitled even after the divorce is final, the divorce lawyers will need to see that also. If you had property that belonged solely to you prior to the date of the marriage, you will need to provide a bill of sale or some kind of proof the property is not marital property.
One of the most difficult things to prove is ownership of a home-based business, but this is something both divorce lawyers will have to work out by conducting a valuation estimate. It tends to be easier with a traditional business because there are records of purchases that will show who provided the funding for the investment, but quite often home-based businesses do not include any initial funding and are much more difficult to value.