Important Things To Tell Your Divorce Attorney

Coming to the decision to divorce can be very difficult, but if you are in this situation, the best thing that you can do is hire an experienced divorce attorney to represent you. A divorce attorney will protect your best interests and ensure that all details are accounted for before your marriage is legally dissolved. In order for your divorce attorney to be able to do his or her job, it is important for you to be honest and forthcoming with information related to your marriage and divorce. When you meet with your divorce attorney, be prepared to discuss the following things.

Current Financial Situation

A big part of a divorce is separating assets and debts, so your divorce attorney will need to have a clear picture of you and your spouse's financial situation. Talking about finances may feel uncomfortable, but your attorney will not be able to properly facilitate your divorce without this information. Whether you and your spouse are deep in debt or you jointly share a lot of assets, you will need to discuss these things with your attorney. It can be very helpful to bring financial documents, such as mortgage statements, credit card bills, auto loan statements, bank statements, and investment statements, to your first meeting with your divorce attorney.

Information That May Be Sensitive

A lot of different issues can lead to a couple divorcing. If you have had an extramarital affair or are currently having one, you need to let your attorney know. Likewise, if you have ever abused your spouse or been involved in a domestic violence situation, it needs to be disclosed. The same can be said if you have any substance abuse issues. It can be hard to talk about these types of things, but they will come up during a divorce proceeding, so it is much better if your attorney is aware of sensitive information in advance.

You Have Purposely Hidden Assets 

In a bad divorce, it is not uncommon for there to be a lot of anger, especially when it comes to the division of assets, alimony, and child support. Some people make the mistake of thinking that they can change the financial outcome of a divorce by hiding assets. In reality, hiding assets during a divorce is not legal and will just cause you a lot of problems. If you have made the mistake of hiding assets, let your divorce attorney know so he or she can help fix the problem.