What is a Divorce Attorney Initial Consultation?

If you're going through a split with your spouse, you may find it productive to hire a divorce attorney to handle the legal side of the process. If things are combative, you'll definitely want someone who can fight for you in and out of court. When looking for someone to hire, you're likely to come across the phrase "initial consultation" quite often. What does this term mean? Put simply, it is a meeting where you can come in, lay out your case, listen to what the firm has to say, and decide whether or not you want to hire them. Here's how you can prepare for this meeting.

Insist on the Attorney

Many firms will have an assistant or paralegal meet with prospective clients. This is understandable. After a while, these meetings take on a certain sameness and the assistant probably knows as well as the lawyer what to look for and what to convey. Nonetheless, you don't want to be passed off to an assistant. Insist on meeting with the lawyer who would be handling your case. Part of the importance of the initial consultation is to get a feeling for how you would get along with your lawyer. You won't know this if you only meet with an assistant. If the firm says they don't do things that way, well, there's always another firm down the road.

What to Bring

Often, potential clients are uncertain about what they should bring to an initial consultation. One attorney may want their clients to bring certain things that others wouldn't think of, but there are some general items that will prove helpful. Any tax returns you have would be a good idea, especially if there is a strong monetary focal point in the divorce. Anything else relating to income may prove instructive. Additionally, information regarding your assets and property can be relevant. Your mortgage statement, for instance.

Be Ready for Personal Questions

For a divorce attorney, there is seldom a case of a question being too personal. The more intense and combative the relationship, the more prying questions are going to be asked. You gain nothing by demurring. If the lawyer wants to know something and you have the answer, you should furnish him with the information. These include questions about potentially saving the marriage, which are very helpful in determining the best course of action. Remember, the moment you begin the initial consultation is the moment attorney/client privilege is invoked, so you don't have to worry about saying too much.