If you have found yourself involved in a divorce hopefully you have made the decision to retain an attorney.  However, now you need to prepare for the first meeting with your attorney.

While it may seem strange or a bit of an alien concept to need to prepare for a meeting that you are having for the purpose of being educated by properly preparing you will save time and money.  By doing two things primary things you can ensure that your attorney will be more agreeable to taking your case also that your attorney will understand that you will be an educated and prepared client.  First, listen carefully and, secondly, ask questions.

First, you should determine a list of questions to ask your attorney.  This may seem like a daunting task as you may not know what will be important to ask or what you should ask an attorney.  Much of what you will ask your attorney will be based upon the specific facts of your case, but the following list is a sample of some of the issues you should consider discussing with your attorney. 

     Child custody
     Parental decision making for children
     Child visitation
     Children’s education
     Restraining orders for the benefit of the children
     Children’s health insurance
     Child support
     Property division
     Debt allocation
     Premarital property
     Investment accounts
     Insurance policies
     Retirement accounts
     Personal property division
    Alimony or Spousal Support
     Restraining Orders
     Attorneys’ Fees
     Grounds for divorce

These issues only begin to scratch the surface.  There are many other issues that will need to be addressed with your attorney that will be determined by the specifics of your case, but review the list above and use these factors as a guide to start formulating a list of your own questions.  Your attorney will be able to tell you under the laws of your state exactly how you can expect your case to be resolved.  Don’t take broad overviews and summaries given in the first meeting with your attorney to be the gospel on exactly what will happen in your divorce, but use it rather as a road map to allow you to better understand possibilities for resolution and how you should best proceed in your case.  Many things can change during a divorce, but the results rarely are completely opposite that what a qualified and knowledgeable domestic attorney will explain to you based upon the accurate facts of your case. 

It is also very important to prepare a list of debts that exist as a result of your marriage.  Together with this debt you will want to know other specifics of your personal finances such as combined income, potential tax liability, the total of regularly occurring expenses in your home as well as information relevant to balances of accounts held at different financial institutions.  Your attorney will be asking you for this, so it will be beneficial to prepare these figures with accompanying documentation in advance of your first meeting.  If you don’t know specific numbers, don’t worry, but do be as specific as possible in regard to your finances.

It is can also be beneficial to prepare at least a timeline or perhaps a narrative history of your marriage with your spouse including dates such as when you met, when you first lived together, when you were married, when you acquired property, when you had children and when you separated.

By doing some work in advance of your first meeting with your attorney you will be able to make the most efficient use of your time and make your first meeting with your new attorney the most productive so as to allow you to better prepare yourself for what may come in the future.

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