How to Prepare for Your First Meeting With an Arizona Divorce Attorney

Arriving at the decision to divorce is rarely an easy path, and many divorcing spouses feel some trepidation before their first meeting with a divorce lawyer. Choosing the right Arizona divorce attorney for your unique divorce situation is key to a well-executed process, minimal anxiety, and obtaining the most desirable outcome for your family. But first, knowing what to expect for your initial meeting with a Chandler family law lawyer helps to launch a distressing process with the best possible start.

Arrive Organized, With All Necessary Paperwork

Divorce is an emotional experience for spouses, but the legal aspect of divorce is largely a paperwork process. Preparing for a first meeting with a divorce lawyer requires gathering paperwork such as the following:

• Your marriage certificate
• Your divorce petition if you are the respondent in the process and have already been served
• Financial documents such as bank account statements, recent tax returns, retirement account statements, property deeds, and credit card and other debt statements

Organizing the initial paperwork in advance helps your attorney take prompt action in your divorce in preparing for your full financial disclosure. This is the first step in meeting Arizona’s requirement for the equal division of marital assets.

Prepare a List of Questions

It’s common to feel substantial anxiety during an initial meeting with a divorce lawyer and this sometimes causes clients to forget questions they planned on asking. Instead of later regretting that you forgot to ask something important, it’s good to arrive prepared with a list of questions. Beginning days before the meeting, jot down questions whenever you think of one, and then bring the list with you to refer to during the first meeting. Common questions include:

• What are the steps ahead for me in this process?
• Have you handled divorce cases with circumstances similar to mine, and what was the outcome?
• What strategy do you think is best for our divorce?
• What fees do you charge and what is your structure for payment?
• What additional documents do you need me to produce?
• How do I prepare for mediation?
• Do you think we will go to trial or achieve a divorce settlement agreement in an uncontested divorce?
• How should we communicate?

Finally, ask what the attorney predicts as the most likely outcome of any major disputes you anticipate, like child custody, asset division, and spousal support.

Set Goals for Your First Meeting With a Divorce Lawyer in Arizona

Before your first appointment, it helps to set goals for what you’ll achieve during the meeting, including getting the initial paperwork underway—whether you are filing for divorce or responding to a spouse’s petition. Be sure to clearly articulate your desired goals and outcomes for your divorce and highlight any potential disputes such as child custody problems or any assets you are concerned about in the asset division process. You may also want to meet the legal team that will help your attorney with your case so you have a good idea of how the team works together.

Ask About Any Emergency Temporary Orders

If you are in a situation where you require temporary orders for child custody, spousal support, or a protection order against a threatening spouse, your attorney can help you with these critical issues at your first meeting.

Build a Good Rapport With Your Arizona Divorce Attorney

During the initial meeting with your Chandler divorce lawyer, it’s important to ask important questions and listen to the answers. You may wish to bring a notebook and take notes on the upcoming steps and requirements the attorney discusses so you can look back later. A successful first meeting helps you to have confidence as you move forward in the Arizona divorce process.