Documents Your Divorce Lawyer Will Need In The Divorce

Your divorce attorney will need certain crucial financial documents before the divorce proceedings start and during such proceedings. Some such documents include income related documents and tax returns.  Other documents that your lawyer will need are property valuations, marital debts, documentation of assets, and related documents.

While you are getting your documents, your attorney may ask for digital or hard copies of them. However, you should make it a point to keep copies of all those documents you handed over to your divorce attorney. If you have handed them over the digital copies, save another copy either online using a cloud based service or take a backup of it. When you show these documents online through software like Google Docs, you can easily access them and you can always fetch them even if your system crashes,

It is also imperative that an organized and complete file with all the relevant documents is submitted to your attorney. It will then enable to make your negotiation process run in a smoother manner. On the other hand, when you need to approach the court, a well-organized file will help you to provide better supportive evidence in your favor.

1. Income related documents

• If you are employed, you need to collate pay slips from both your present and previous employers for the last one year. In case you are self-employed, you need to submit business forms or income tax returns that are associated with the income generated from your self-employment.
• If possible, get the pay slips of your spouse for the same duration.
• You need to also submit copies of individual or joint tax returns as applicable for both federal and state for the last 3 years.
• When either your spouse or you are self-employed, it is also necessary to get documents relevant to your business expenses.
• Copies of statements highlighting net worth or any other financial statements that were prepared by your spouse or you to secure bank loans.

2. Real estate related documents

• Present mortgage statements that you could be having on a real estate asset.
• All documents that legally describe whether the said real estate is owned separately or together.
• Documents related to the real estate’s initial purchase.
• Statement of tax assessor related to a real estate.
• In case any refinancing has been done for a real estate, you need to submit all the documents related to such a refinance.

Getting divorced in California can be complicated.  Download our free eBook, 18 Important Things to Know About California Divorce to educate yourself on the process.  

Gerald A. Maggio is an experienced Orange County divorce and family law attorney and family law attorney located in Irvine, California, serving the Orange County and Riverside areas. Mr. Maggio assists clients with legal issues including divorce, legal separation, divorce mediation, child custody, prenuptial agreements, stepparent adoptions, and other family law issues. Mr. Maggio has practiced law in California since 1999, and founded The Maggio Law Firm in 2005, focusing exclusively on divorce and family law matters.