Divorce Consultation Document Checklist
For Family Law Attorneys and Legal Advisors
A comprehensive document checklist for divorce consultations. Ensure your clients are fully prepared for their initial meeting by gathering legal, financial, and personal documentation. This checklist demonstrates your expertise, streamlines the intake process, and positions your practice as a trusted authority in family law.
Key Benefits
Common Use Cases
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is a comprehensive divorce document checklist important for attorneys?
What if a client cannot obtain a required document before the first meeting?
Checklist
Personal Documents
Required to establish the legal marriage. Must be a certified copy issued by the official government authority (not a photocopy or scan).
Submit original or certified copies. Required for custody and child support considerations. If adopted, include adoption orders.
Must be valid and unexpired. Required for attorney-client verification and notary purposes.
Legal Forms
If any agreement was signed, provide the fully executed, signed, and dated original or a notarized copy. Include amendments or addenda, if any.
Include all prior or current orders relevant to the marriage, children, or property. Certified copies preferred. Highlight expiration or review dates.
Financial Documents
Include full federal and state returns with all schedules, W-2s, 1099s, and attachments. Electronic filings must include submission confirmations.
Provide the most recent and consecutive pay statements. Self-employed individuals must provide profit-and-loss statements for the same period.
Include checking, savings, and joint accounts. Must show account holder names, account numbers, and transaction history. Online printouts accepted if legible and complete.
Include 401(k), IRA, pension, and other retirement plans. Statements must reflect account owner, balances, and recent transactions.
Credit card, loan, and line of credit statements from the last 6 months. Must include outstanding balances, minimum payments, and lender contact details.
If either spouse owns a business, provide articles of incorporation, partnership agreements, recent balance sheets, and profit & loss statements. Cross-reference with tax returns.
Supporting Evidence
Include current mortgage balance statements and official recorded deeds for all real property (residential, investment, vacation). Cross-reference with tax returns for property disclosures.
Provide declarations pages for current policies. Life insurance must show beneficiary designations. Health insurance cards accepted for verification.