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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Family law matters are often nuanced and require a competent and experienced advocate who can walk you through the process. You should consult with one of our experienced divorce, child custody or court appeals attorneys if:

  • You have questions about how long the process may take.
  • You need to know how to prepare for a divorce or custody case.
  • You have concerns about what next steps you should (or should not) take with your legal matter.
  • Your spouse has already filed for divorce. 
  • Children’s services have contacted about you and your family.
  • You are being investigated by a law enforcement agency.
  • You need to enforce a court order.
  • You need to change terms of your decree or shared parenting plan.

Being prepared will help give you the best chance to protect your interests during your proceedings. Many clients come in with a list of questions related to their cases.  Your divorce attorney will be able to answer your questions and talk you through the various avenues your case can take and what each step looks like.

Your divorce attorney will ask you a lot of questions. It’s important that they get to know you and your situation; be as honest and forthcoming as possible. After a divorce consultation, you may be asked to do some research to learn as much as you can about your finances, assets, liabilities, and regular expenses. It’s important for both parties to have a clear understanding of their shared assets, debts, and incomes. In other cases, if you didn’t already, you will need to produce all relevant documents and agreements. 

It’s also important to note that this meeting is confidential.

You should prepare for your consultation by bringing as much relevant documentation as possible. The list below highlights a few of the things you should bring. Documents needed are based on matter, and this list is not all-inclusive. Once you schedule your consultation, we will prepare you with exactly what you need to bring.

 

Tax Returns

Tax returns are often the best way to get a comprehensive look at your financial situation. This is especially true if you and your spouse did not always file a joint return. 

Pay Stubs

You should bring at least 3 months’ worth of paystubs for you and your spouse. This will help your attorney gain a clear picture of your finances and make an initial estimate on alimony.

Legal Documents

You should bring any legal paperwork that is relevant to your marriage. This might include:

  • Prenuptial agreements
  • You and your children’s social security cards and passports
  • Birth certificates of children
  • Documents from any prior legal proceedings involving your children or spouse
  • Separation agreements
  • Divorce decrees
Potentially Incriminating Evidence

If there is any evidence that could be incriminating for you or your spouse and is related to the divorce, your attorney needs to know about it. This might include social media posts, texts, photos, videos, or notes documenting cheating or abuse.

One divorce attorney has the ability to draft all of the documents needed to file for divorce, dissolution, or legal separation, as long as both parties are in agreement on the terms. However, one attorney cannot represent two opposing sides to a case. When conflicts arise, as they often do, you will want to ensure that the attorney is acting solely in your best interest.

Your consultation is not an opportunity for us to only pitch our services and quote you with a retainer fee. Your initial consultation is the first step in your family law matter’s journey; it’s a real strategy session with an experienced attorney. We set aside an hour to learn about you and your case, review your documents and matter-specific questionnaire, and provide practical legal advice to you. Because of this, we do charge a fee. For more information, set up a time to talk.

If you are already working with an attorney but are looking to make a change, we recommend that you schedule a consultation with our firm. We will aim to understand where you are in the process and what you feel is not working with your current representation. We will provide practical feedback as to how we can help. If you find that our firm is what your side of the case has been missing and you retain our services, we can work with your existing counsel to transition, including notifying them of your change, collecting unused retainer funds from them, and obtaining all physical and efiles they have in their possession.

Initially, we would not be able to determine the full nature of the legal services because much of our work depends upon events which occur once we get started.  Additionally, we cannot always predict how the opposing party will respond to certain strategies we have employed. Our fees include time devoted to consultations; correspondence; meetings; telephone calls; negotiations; factual investigations; analysis; legal research; document preparation and revision; travel away from the office on your behalf; court appearances, and all other work-related matters regarding which we are performing services on your behalf. In your initial consultation, we will be able to share with you our hourly rates and initial retainer, as well as talk through payment arrangements and a few scenarios related to the cost of your proceedings.

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The information contained in this website is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any matter.

The transmission and receipt of information contained on this website, in whole or in part, or communication with Trolinger Law Offices, LLC via the contact form or email through this website does not constitute or create an attorney-client relationship. Any information that you voluntarily disclose to us through this website will not be privileged or confidential unless or until a formal consultation is conducted with Trolinger Law Offices, LLC.