You found the right lawyer: Now what? Step two: The initial consultation

My last article (March 16, 2016) addressed the first step in a legal action — “How to Find the Right Lawyer for You.” Step two is how to prepare for the initial consultation and what to expect.

I can only fairly address how my office handles initial consultations, so if you find yourself in another lawyer’s office, ask them what they would like you to bring. However, in general, you should always bring your questions. Keep an ongoing list of specific questions that you need addressed at your meeting.

The second most important thing to bring is your candor. The advice given is only as good as the information that is provided to the lawyer. Any fact can change the advice or the outcome of a case, so be prepared to be thorough with your situation. Because attorney-client confidentiality exists at the start of the relationship between the attorney and their client, you can feel at ease providing sensitive details during your consultation.

Documents that support your position can be provided at any time, so don’t fret if you don’t have access to them or the time to obtain them before you come in. If you do have them, we usually like to see any documents that help us in answering your questions. In family law, specifically in an action for divorce when there are minor children to consider, we’d ideally like to see the most recent tax returns with all W-2s and 1099s, the most recent paystubs of both parents, as well as documents indicating the monthly costs of the children’s health insurance to address child support.

Any existing pre-nuptial or anti-nuptial agreements are a must for review. A working knowledge of your assets, retirement accounts and debts is also helpful.

After we review the situation and determine your needs and desires, we discuss with you all the options available to you. You make the decision as to how you wish to proceed as you will be the person living with the results. Some people are clear at the time of the consultation as to what they want to do, and others need some time to think things over. Our office will keep confidential notes during the consultation and place them in a pending file for when you are ready to proceed.

In my next article, I’ll touch upon the major options that are available to you in a legal action.

If you would like to meet with Merrilee to discuss your situation, call her office at (208) 667-1227 to schedule an informative, hour long initial consultation.