If you are getting a divorce, there are things that you are going to need to make sure that you give to your attorney. With these things, the attorney can appropriately help you set up your divorce settlement as well as help you with any child custody, alimony and support issues. So, what kind of things do you need to do and what do you need to give your attorney to help you with your divorce?

List of Assets and Possessions

You will want to provide your attorney with a full list of your assets. That includes things like your house, bank accounts, retirement funds, vacation homes, and the like. Do the best that you can and be as thorough as possible. The more info you can give your attorney, the better off you are going to be. You should also give your attorney a list of your possessions, or at least of those possessions that you may have brought into the relationship. If you can prove that you owned those things before the relationship, so much the better for you. 

List of Debts

Another thing that you need to do is to make a list of all the debts you and your spouse have. That includes everything from your light bill to student loans to credit card debt. You will need to show what the debts are, who incurred them, and who, if anyone, has been paying on the bills. You can prove that by showing where money came from to pay out the bills. If you and your spouse have separate accounts, then you can show that X amount of money came out of your account to pay Y bill. 

List of Living Expenses

You will also want to show your attorney a list of your current living expenses. Those will include things like your rent/mortgage as well as your utilities. The living expense list should also include things like gas to get to and from a job, childcare costs, school uniforms, activity fees for children, and anything else like that. If you are seeking primary custody and child support or alimony, you need to provide this information so that you can figure how much you are going to need from your spouse to cover those costs. 

If you are getting a divorce, you want to do what you can to make things go as smoothly as possible. Talk with a family law attorney for more help.