What to Gather Before Your First Attorney Meeting

The first meeting with an attorney goes fastest when the paperwork is already in one place. Bring these and the hour you pay for goes to advice, not hunting.

Identity and household basics

• Marriage date and the date of separation, if there is one.
• Names and birthdates for you, your spouse, and the children.

Income

• Your last two pay stubs and your spouse's, if you can get them.
• The last two years of tax returns.

What you own and what you owe

• Recent statements for bank, retirement, and investment accounts.
• The mortgage statement and a rough idea of what the house is worth.
• Credit card and loan balances, even estimates.

Missing pieces are normal. Bring what you have and tell the attorney what you could not find, because that gap is useful information too.