What To Do Before You Call My Office When potential clients call my office there is certain information that is important for the client to have available during that call. In this blog article I will talk about some of the information that I ask for and why I need it. Dates. If the client is calling about a potential divorce case I would recommend writing down some of the important dates, of the marriage, before calling my office. This would include the date of the marriage, date of the separation (if now separated) as well as the ages of any minor children. It is also important to have the date the parties started to live together, if it occurred prior to the marriage (if this time is considered a “committed intimate relationship” then the court may also divide the property accumulated during this time as well). List Of Major Assets. It can be helpful if I have a basic understanding of what types of major assets are owned by the community. This would include an idea on what the value of the family home (and any other real estate) is as well as the types and values of retirement benefits. When the retirement benefits have been “earned” is very important to know, especially if some portion was earned prior to the marriage (creating the possibility that a part of it may be separate property). List Of Debts. Before the phone call, write down a list of all the debts (and amounts) that you are aware of. This would include debts associated with assets - such as a car or home - and all credit card. Knowing the value of the family and the mortgage balance will allow for me to figure out how much equity is in the home - this goes to the issue of figuring out how the property/debts might get divided in any potential divorce. Court Paperwork. For cases that have been involved in the court system (currently or in the past) it can be very helpful if the client has a copy of the paperwork in front of them when they call my office. For prior cases it can be very helpful to have all of the final orders available - this would include the parenting plan, child support order (with attached worksheets) and decree. For ongoing cases, if there are any temporary orders I always like to have the client tell we what any temporary orders say. Also, for ongoing cases, it can be handy for the client to have any case schedule issued by the court clerk, or the judge, so I can learn about important dates in the case. Paternity Affidavit. For cases where the parents of a child are not married to each other it is very important to know if the parents signed a paternity affidavit (and also to know when it was signed). In most cases, today, the parents are asked to sign one at the hospital. Having a copy of the paternity affidavit available prior to the phone call will allow for me to verify that one does exist and give me the exact date it was signed. Most of the time, if a client says they know one does exist, I strongly suggest getting a copy of it - it may be needed for any court action and eliminates the need to do a paternity test. __________________________________________________ This blog article is not intended to convey legal advice, but only address some of the general rules. Most legal issues, in family law cases, depend on the specific facts. Should you wish to discuss your particular situation with the Law Office of Thomas A. Chillquist, please call or email my office. I am a family law lawyer (divorce attorney) and I represent parties in family law, and divorce, matters in King and Pierce County, Washington, including Kent, Federal Way, Covington, Renton, SeaTac, Des Moines, Fife, Auburn, Seattle, Bellevue, Puyallup, Orting, Tacoma and Mercer Island. Copyright Thomas A. Chillquist
Posted on: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 18:12:29 +0000