Proper Preparation For Your Contested Divorce

A divorce can easily become very lengthy, costly, and emotional, but these feelings are amplified even more when a divorce is contested by either you or your spouse. If you cannot decide on how to divide assets, here are some key things you should do to properly prepare yourself for the road ahead:

List Your Debts And Assets

You will need to list all of the assets that you have, which included assets in your own name and assets that you have together with your spouse. Make photocopies of all documentation such deeds and financial statements.

Keep in mind that with the good comes the bad, as you will need to document all of your debts as well. It is best to get a credit report, since it will list all debts that you owe individually and together. If your spouse forgets to bring up their own individual debts, you should not remind them.

Start A Journal

Child custody is one of the most difficult things to decide in a contested divorce. If you are looking to have custody, you should start keeping a detailed journal about all interactions with your child. The little things like who helps with homework or cooks them meals can easily be overlooked if it is not documented.

Provide Income Documentation

It's not enough to state your salary, as there are often other forms of income that need to be accounted for. Dig up your taxes from the past few years to help figure out what income has been coming in for the two of you. Unless your spouse is hiding undocumented income, your taxes should cover everything except any changes within the past year.

Get Everything Organized

After gathering everything listed above, get it organized in a way that is easy to go through. These are documents that you will be handing over to your lawyer, and they may not know what everything is at first glance. Since you will be paying your lawyer by the hour, the less work they need to do, the cheaper their fees will be.

Write Out Your Questions

Prior to your first meeting with a lawyer, write out all questions that you have about the entire divorce process. Consultations are typically free, so use this time to learn as much as possible about the legal side of divorce.

By being properly prepared for your contested divorce, you'll be able to take on any major issues as they come up in the legal proceedings. To learn more, contact a company like Law Office of Jeffrey Dragon with any questions or concerns you have.

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