The Documents You Need When Meeting With Your Divorce Lawyer

 

Before the divorce process starts for your specific situation, your attorney will likely ask for information about your marriage and the related documentation attached to it. The reason that your divorce lawyer Gold Coast wants official documents is because dry ink does not lie. Therefore, you need to provide the necessary documents that tell the story of what really has happened in your marriage financially and in other ways.

 

Income-Related Documents

Documents that are associated with your income are critical to the divorce process because the court needs to understand your employment status and financial positions to be able to consider property division, child support, alimony, and so on.

 

These documents usually include pay stubs and income tax returns. If you have a side job that brings in additional income, you need to have it documented as well. Prepare any other information that will establish your net worth, your income, your spouse's net worth, your spouse's income, and your joint net worth.

 

Joint Financial Accounts

Your divorce lawyer Gold Coast will need the paperwork of all your financial accounts both joint and separate to present in court. Both parties have to disclose their assets completely. Any account contributed or opened during the union must be assessed, as it is potentially marital property.

 

These include:

·         All bank statements from any account in your name or jointly with your spouse

·         Individual or joint accounts of savings passbooks and savings certificates

·         Statements from investment accounts you hold separately or jointly.

 

Related to Automobiles

Disclose all vehicles owned by the couple, in which the court will determine ownership. This is because automobiles are also marital assets subject to appraisal. Your divorce lawyer Gold Coast will procure vehicle title or registration owned individually or jointly by you or your spouse, including automobiles, ATVs, farm equipment, boats, etc.

 

These types of documents also include those demonstrating the current outstanding secured debt on the vehicles, amortization schedules, payment coupons, and monthly invoices.

 

Marital Debt Documents

Similar to presenting your financial assets, it is also important to document any accumulation of debt. All debts entered into during the marriage are included in the financial disclosure. The court will decide which are marital debts and divide them between the spouses as part of the divorce.

 

So, with the help of your divorce lawyer, list your debts, including medical bills, credit cards, and any other loans in both your name and your spouse's.

 

Real Estate Documents

In the divorce, any real estate acquired during the marriage will be divided because it is marital property. In addition, real estate owned or bought before marriage may come into play if marital funds were used to do repairs or upkeep on the property, or pay the mortgage.

 

Equitable distribution means dividing property fairly but not necessarily equally, while community property means giving half of the marital property to each spouse.

 

You can obtain from your bank or mortgage company the documents, showing the legal description of any real estate owned separately or together. Your divorce lawyer will need these real estate documents, as they work on your case.