It’s natural to think you need to rush straight out and hire the first divorce lawyer you see, but you shouldn’t. Give yourself some time to take a deep breath and think about the situation. While you might not change your mind about wanting out of your marriage, it does provide you with an opportunity to look at the situation with rational eyes and prepare for upcoming ordeal. At this point, you need to go through your office and gather up any legal documents you and your spouse have, financial records, property deeds, and other important documentation, including pre-nuptial agreements. Once you’ve done this, it’s time to start checking out local divorce law firms.
The first phase of hiring a divorce lawyer will be a consultation between the two of you. Yes, you will be using this time to decide if the attorney will be a good fit for you circumstances, and you will be asking many questions, you shouldn’t assume you will be the only conducting an interview. When you meet with an attorney specializing in divorce law, you should expect them to have plenty of questions for you. They will want to make sure your case will be a good fit for their practice. You need to prepare yourself for these questions which will seem very personal and even a little invasive.
The divorce lawyer will want to know why you and your spouse have decided to end your marriage. This is a serious and important question, and you need to answer it honestly and concisely. Saying you can no longer stand the sight of your spouse won’t be a good enough answer. The answer you needs to be something that can be put in the paperwork such as irreconcilable differences, adultery, abuse, or even that you’ve grown apart and realize you want different things. Knowing the reason you want to dissolve your marriage will help the attorney decide if the case will be a good fit for them, as well as allowing them to gauge your emotional control.
Another thing that your divorce lawyer will ask about during the consultation meeting will be about the details of the marriage, or the intangible aspect. Not only will they want to know about the length of time you were married, and how long you dated prior to the marriage, they will also want to know about what happened at the end. For example, if you or your spouse had an affair, you should be prepared to tell how long the affair lasted and how you/they found out about it. The information will be useful when the time comes to discuss how much or a settlement you can expect once the divorce has been formally dissolved.
