Showing up to meet an attorney without your financial records ready is like going to the doctor without knowing your symptoms. You’ll waste the whole appointment trying to remember basic facts. Your first meeting with a divorce lawyer matters because it shapes everything that follows. They need to see your complete financial situation to give you real advice, not guesses. Organised documentation turns that initial consultation into an actual strategy instead of an expensive interview with a lot of “probablys.” A Brunswick divorce lawyer tells you exactly what your case looks like when you walk in with the paperwork that tells your financial story.
Preparation shows you mean business. Good records also help your attorney catch problems early, before they turn into expensive surprises months into your case. A family lawyer in Brunswick, Maine, meets with people constantly who have no idea how much documentation divorce actually requires. Courts want detailed financial disclosure covering every asset, every debt, every dollar you make and spend. Starting with complete records puts you miles ahead of where most people begin.
Income verification materials
Your lawyer needs hard proof of earnings for you and your spouse. Bring tax returns from the last three years, federal and state. All of them, with every schedule and form attached. Not just the summary page. W-2s and 1099s from the past two years explain income sources that tax returns sometimes bury in the details. Pay stubs from the last three months at a minimum show what you’re making right now and what gets taken out. Self-employed? Bring profit and loss statements. Meeting in July? Year-to-date income statements help project what the full year will look like.
Bonuses and commissions count toward support calculations. Overtime matters. Stock options, even ones that haven’t vested yet, might be marital property that gets divided. Rental income needs lease agreements and records showing who’s actually paying rent. Investment account statements showing dividends and interest prove passive income that courts factor into support awards.
Asset documentation essentials
- Your attorney needs eyes on everything you own jointly or separately. Real estate comes first. Deeds for your house and any rental or investment properties. Current mortgage statements showing balances. Property tax assessments give rough values, though appraisals are better. Refinanced in the past few years? Those documents, too.
- Bank statements covering the past twelve months. Courts scrutinise large withdrawals or transfers between accounts, looking for hidden money. Retirement accounts, 401(k)s, IRAs, pensions, anything with a balance. These frequently end up being the biggest assets in a marriage besides the house. Contribution history matters as much as current balances.
- Brokerage statements showing stocks, bonds, funds, whatever you’ve invested in. Cryptocurrency gets forgotten constantly, so document those holdings separately. Business ownership complicates everything. If either spouse owns a company, you need corporate tax returns going back three years. Operating agreements. Current profit and loss statements. Balance sheets. Buy-sell agreements, if any exist. Prior valuations of the business have been appraised.
Debt and liability records
Debts get split up the same as assets. Credit card statements from the past year, all cards, including ones only your spouse uses. Loan documents for everything: mortgages, home equity lines, auto loans, student debt, and personal loans. Your lawyer needs the original agreements plus current payoff amounts. Big medical bills might be joint obligations even if only one person received treatment. Tax debts to the IRS or state require documentation. Business debts need separation from personal liability, which takes detailed records proving what the company owes versus what you personally guaranteed. Time spent pulling these documents together before your initial consultation saves you multiples of that time and money as your case moves forward.