What Documents Does My Divorce Attorney Need? 

One of the most asked questions here at Melissa Pearce & Associates, PLC, is: “What information do you need from me for my divorce?” Sometimes that answer is not simple. It depends on what is requested during the discovery process. However, we want to share with you our recommended documents that you should bring to your first meeting with a divorce attorney. This will help your legal team to get your divorce started.

• Picture Identification.
• Your financial documents.
  • Bank statements, the previous two months are a good start.
  • Paystubs, the previous two months are typically ideal.
  • Any information about an MDHHS case (cash assistance, food stamps, Section 8 housing assistance).
  • If applicable, personal and business tax returns for the previous three years.
• Documents related to your assets and debts.
  • Deed to Home(s).
  • Current mortgage statement(s).
  • Property tax statement(s).
  • Any recent appraisals for home(s).
  • Motor vehicle titles (boats, motorcycles, ATV, RV, jet ski, airplane, trailer, snowmobile).
  • Debt statements (medical bills, credit card statements, loan statements, unpaid utility bills, lines of credit, motor vehicle loans).
  • Leases.
  • Other assets include jewelry, art collections, or safety deposit box contents.
• Premarital assets would be anything you owned before marriage and were not commingled during the marriage. Provide proof that it was acquired prior to the date of marriage and that you have maintained it as a separate property for the duration of your marriage, which means that no marital income has gone to pay for that property. You will need documents to trace all funds used for the asset or deposited into a premarital account to demonstrate marital funds were not used or commingled with the assets. These will require that your legal team analyze the characteristic of the assets against the law.
• Retirement/Pension/Investment Accounts
  • 401K and 403B Statements.
  • Pension plans from employers, including but not limited to defined benefit plans.
  • Employer-paid life insurance.
  • Life insurance policy.
  • IRA Statement.
  • Inheritance Information.

If you had any of these accounts prior to marriage, we would need the last statement dated before the date of marriage. By providing these documents early in your case, you help your legal team start your case off strong.

Contact our Novi, MI Divorce Attorney for Help

If you need to protect your home and other assets through your divorce, schedule your pre-engagement meeting with divorce lawyer Melissa Pearce today. And visit our YouTube channel for more information on co-parenting, communication, and more.