How can I make the most of my first meeting with my lawyer?
Be prepared and organized. Bring basic information such as a simple statement of assets and liabilities, tax returns for the past three years and it is recommend that clients bring notes with bullet point topics they would like to discuss and questions they seek to have answered.
Should I bring all of my records to the first meeting?
No. In the first meeting, we will provide you with a comprehensive list documents for you to help us gather. Those will be reviewed and discussed in follow-up meetings. It would be very inefficient and expensive to actually review extensive documents during the first meeting.
What information are you looking for in the first meeting?
At the first meeting, we look for broad information. We want to identify the major assets and liabilities, know if there are likely to be issues with parenting the children, examine what the typical monthly income and expenses have been to make an initial determination as to the need for spousal maintenance. Lots of detailed information will be gathered later in this process.