Five Ways You Can Help Your Divorce Attorney
You hire an attorney during your divorce in order to handle much of the busy work that comes with the process. An experienced divorce attorney can complete the work in a quicker and more comprehensive manner than you could on your own. However, your attorney still benefits from your help and cooperation during the process. Clients and attorneys are most successful in their divorce cases when they are able to work together. Here are five ways that you can help your divorce attorney obtain the best result for you:
- Have a Clear Goal: From the first meeting, you should have a basic idea of what you need from your divorce agreement. Most clients want financial stability and parenting time with their children. However, it helps to determine what your specific priorities are in the divorce so you can focus on those issues. Which properties are most important for you to keep? Are there properties you are willing to give up in exchange? Do you want a majority of the parenting time? These are just a couple of the questions you need to answer before starting negotiations.
- Disclose Prior Agreements: You should immediately tell your attorney if you have a pre- or postnuptial agreement with your spouse. The agreement may already determine how your property will be divided and whether one of you will pay spousal maintenance. Your attorney can examine the document to determine whether its terms adhere to Illinois divorce laws.
- Share Information: Your attorney can do a lot of the investigative work for your divorce on his or her own. However, you can save your attorney time and yourself money by collecting important information in advance. You can assume that your attorney will need to know your current income, financial savings, and properties, as well as the same information for your spouse.
- Be Candid: Your working relationship with your attorney should be based on honest and open communication. Do not hide embarrassing information that your spouse may try to use against you during the divorce. Letting your attorney know in advance will allow him or her to prepare a counterargument.
- Ask Before Acting: You should immediately talk to your attorney if you have any questions or doubts during your divorce. Do not make any important legal decisions without consulting your attorney first. Your attorney has a strategy for your divorce, and acting on your own may undermine it.
Working Together
A successful divorce settlement relies on both attorney and client being on the same page with each other. A Kane County divorce attorney at Van Larson Law, P.C., will work with you to achieve your divorce goals. To schedule a consultation, call 630-789-9090.
Source:
http://stories.avvo.com/relationships/divorce/6-things-divorce-attorney-wants.html