If you’ve never met with an attorney before, it can be an intimidating moment. Usually you’re facing some legal or family problems that come with their own stress. Preparing to meet your lawyer, getting documents and thinking about questions can get overwhelming. Here are a few tips on how to prepare for a legal consultation from our staff.

Start preparing emotionally.

Before we jump into legal questions and documents, you have to start with you. In your consult, you may have to talk about things you’ve never discussed before with anyone else. If you think about what you want to discuss ahead of time, it may be easier to productively address these emotional issues as they relate to your case. If you have someone emotionally supporting you, like a parent, sibling or close friend, it may be a good idea to invite them to come with you. Finally, consider what’s important to you and what you want to end up with on the other side. Returning to this goal when things get emotional can help focus, re-center and calm you.

Make a list of Questions & Facts.

If your consultation is scheduled several days or weeks in advance, try keeping a list of questions. As questions come to you, jot them down, so you remember everything you want to discuss and can take full advantage of your time. You’ll also want to list out the facts relevant to your legal concerns. Think of things like your spouse’s name, DOB and place of employment, your kids’ names and DOB, date of marriage, medical and mental health history, etc. Anything you believe is relevant, should be included to help move the process along.

Get your documentation together.

Lastly, you should plan to collect and bring important legal and financial documents to your consultation. When you schedule, you should get information about what specific documents to bring, but here is a general list to consider:

• Tax Returns and/or W-2 forms for both spouses for past 2 years.
• Paystubs, employment contracts, financial records for businesses.
• Bank Statements (past 2 years)
• Retirement and other investment statements
• Copy of any pre-marital or prenuptial agreements
• Copy of any legal papers filed related to the issue.
• Ledger of monthly expenses
• List of property owned including residential, vacation, vehicles, recreational vehicles, etc.
• List of debts including mortgages, personal loans, student loans, credit cards, medical bills, etc.

How to Prepare for a Legal Consultation – Emotions, Lists & Documents.

Let’s recap: If you need to know how to prepare for a legal consultation, consider these three things. First, consider your emotions, and try to prepare to discuss emotionally-challenging topics. Second, create a list of questions you want to ask, and of all the relevant facts to your case. Third, start to collect the documents listed above along with any others specifically requested by your attorney. If you take these simple steps, you will be much better prepared for your consultation!

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