To get the most out of your initial consultation with a family lawyer at our Nova Scotia family law firm, it is important to prepare well.
When you are in the process of booking an initial consultation with one of our family lawyers, you will be asked to fill out an Initial Consultation Client Information Form, which allows the lawyer to review your circumstances in advance. This form includes important details like:
● The dates of your relationship, cohabitation or marriage
● Details regarding your children
● Details of your property and debts
● Details of any current arrangements you have with your spouse regarding custody, parenting time and child support, or spousal support.
This form also provides the opportunity to list the questions you may have for a family lawyer so that they can look at these specific issues in detail and give you detailed, comprehensive answers about how these issues impact your case.
Income
It is important for your family lawyer to know not only both you and your spouse’s income, but also what the employment situation is. Therefore, it’s always helpful if you bring information regarding your employment, such as recent pay stubs, Income Tax Returns and Notices of Assessment.
Income is important in family law matters because it directly impacts any potential child support and spousal support obligations. It is virtually impossible for the family lawyer to provide any estimates of these obligations without this important income information.
Property
If your family law matter involves a separation and/or divorce, property will be relevant. So, create a detailed list of all assets and liabilities that you and/or your partner holds. When drawing up a list of relevant assets, consider items like:
● Real estate
● Vehicles
● Pensions
● Investments (including RRSPs)
● Savings accounts
● Securities
● Life insurance and/or health insurance
● Business interests
● Debts
It is also helpful to have outstanding balances and values for these items at the date of separation from your spouse or common-law partner as well as their value at the most current date.
Children
If you have children and they are part of your family law case, current and/or requested custody and parenting arrangements are important for the family lawyer to know. Details of the children’s ages and any special circumstances are helpful for the family lawyer to understand in advance of the consultation.
You and your partner’s expenses could be relevant to the consultation. It is important to provide a list of your children’s expenses in addition to your personal expenses. These can include things like extracurricular activities, childcare, school-related fees or uninsured medical and dental expenses.
Court Documents
If you are having a consultation with a family lawyer because you have been served with documents, it is vital that you provide copies of these documents to the lawyer in advance of your consultation. This will provide the lawyer with the opportunity to review the documents and develop a plan to move forward.
Book an Initial Consultation with a Family Law Firm in Nova Scotia
Lenehan Musgrave strives to tailor our initial consultation to your needs as a client. All the information you gather is essential to helping our family lawyers guide you with professionalism and efficiency.
If you are looking for more information on how best to proceed with your family law matter or to book an initial consultation with Lenehan Musgrave, please contact us now.
