You’ve decided things have gotten to the point you need to speak to a professional. Someone that can help you through whatever might be going on. In order to make the most of your appointment, being prepared, and organized is a good way to maximize this first meeting.
In any family law case, there are going to be a lot of questions around facts. Dates, addresses, people’s names and contact information. It would be a good idea to make a list of people involved using their full legal name, their mailing address, their email and phone number, children’s names and dates of birth. If you have a financial matter to discuss, outlining a general list of assets including bank accounts, retirements, vehicles, debts, and other items of significant value is helpful to understand the scope of your case. This should include the values of each presently, and who is paying on what bill. In cases where there are already legal proceedings started, bring everything that was filed and/or served on you. You should know the name of any attorneys involved in the case, any pending court dates, and if you have any pending deadlines for discovery or other issues that require a timely response.
Once you’ve gathered any documentation that may be important, made a list of assets and persons that might be important, the next step is make a list of questions. These meetings are very focused on understanding a broad scope of your issue and ideally walking away with options of how to proceed. It will be easy to forget your pressing questions in the heat of the moment so feel free to bring a notebook of pre-drafted questions you know you have right now that should be answered in that initial meeting.
Some clients find it helpful to bring a friend, sibling, or adult child with them to an appointment for support and to help absorb information. Attorney-client privilege only applies to the attorney and the client. Allowing a third party (anyone beyond the attorney and client) in the room has the capacity to break privilege leaving the conversation, advice, and any details vulnerable to discovery and cross-examination by opposing parties. This is an important piece to consider in contested cases.
During the consultation, you will have an opportunity to give background information on your situation, discuss the potential legal claims you have, and solutions to each issue. Some clients will have unique challenges that require further research and thus may not walk away with an immediate ABC plan of how to proceed, but rather what can be done next. At the end of the appointment the attorney will outline their fee structure and estimated up front costs for accepting a case. It’s at this time where you can ask any lingering questions that were not answered during the meeting.
Being prepared is the first step to most things in life and walking through a difficult family matter is no different. If you find yourself here, give us a call today so we can figure out where you go from here.