Indianapolis Divorce Lawyer
At your first meeting with a Indianapolis divorce lawyer from Haggerty, Haggerty and Maschmeyer, it is helpful for you to come prepared with copies of documents and records required by the court. Collecting these documents right at the start helps speed up the process and make the document collection process easier. Documents that are readily available to you before the divorce may be difficult and expensive to obtain after the divorce process begins.
Personal records
Your attorney will need these personal records to prove the existence of the marriage, children of the marriage, and citizenship to determine the authority of the court over the parties to grant a divorce:
- Birth certificates
- Social Security cards
- Immigration and naturalization documents
- Prenuptial agreements, separation agreements, and other agreements between you and your current spouse
- Court decrees and judgments in proceedings with a prior spouse
- Death certificate of a previous deceased spouse
These documents and records may also be helpful during the divorce process:
- Photographs, movies, videotapes, and audio recordings of you, your spouse, and your children
- Letters, cards, notes, and emails written by or to you, your spouse, and your children
Property records and financial documents
These documents contain information about your and your spouse's income, savings, assets, debts, and expenses that are important in determining the division of marital property, child support, and alimony:
- Federal, state and local income tax returns for the last three to five years
- Payroll statements, pay stubs, and bonus records
- Checking and savings account records
- Real estate deeds, contracts or leases
- Documents about pension or retirement plans, annuities, and IRAs
- Insurance policies, including life, health, automobile, and homeowners
- Mortgages, loans, credit card statements, and other records of debt
- Household expense records for items such as food, rent, utilities, clothing, household goods, repairs, education, vacations, entertainment, and other expenses
Business records
If you or your spouse owns a business, you should collect copies these documents and records:
- Federal, state, and local income tax returns for the business
- Deeds, mortgages, leases, and other real estate interests held by the business
- Financial statements and balance sheets
- Profit and loss statements
- Corporate records and minute books including articles of incorporation and bylaws
- Partnership agreements
- Shareholder agreements
- Business credit card statements and records
- Insurance policies for the business
- Contracts
If you cannot obtain certain documents for your attorney to review, you should make a detailed list describing the documents, including document titles, dates, and what each document is about.
Contact a seasoned team of divorce attorneys in Indianapolis
The law firm of Haggerty, Haggerty, and Maschmeyer has served central Indiana residents for over 50 years. Our law partners have many years of experience in successfully representing divorce cases. We also offer mediation services for those seeking to reach a divorce settlement outside of court. Our firm is conveniently located near downtown Indianapolis. We offer a free, brief initial telephone consultation with one of our law partners. If you need an experienced attorney on your side to ensure that your divorce case is handled fairly, contact the law firm of Haggerty, Haggerty, and Maschmeyer to discuss your case.
