What Information Will My Divorce Solicitor Need?

When it comes to getting divorced, your chosen divorce solicitors will require a range of information relating to your personal situation to ensure they give you the best possible advice.

Divorce is an emotional and stressful time, and so your solicitor will aim to take all of the necessary details in an empathetic way. You may feel that the information needed is intrusive, but the solicitor will only seek to take details that will help them to process your divorce as efficiently as possible. By doing this, they will also be better prepared to secure the best financial settlement for you.

This guide helps to explain some of the information that your solicitor may need when you are looking to get a divorce. It is unlikely that all this information will be taken at once, but in order to be prepared, this guide will help you to gather the evidence and details that may be required.

What information will my divorce solicitor ask for?

Some of the basic information that your solicitor will need to begin your divorce case includes:

• Your personal information including your contact information
• Important dates including your date of birth and the date of birth of your spouse, your date of marriage and the date of any relevant incidents such as an affair.
• Names and dates of birth of any children that you have as well as details of the schools that they attend.
• Information relating to any previous marriages that you or your spouse have had, including the date of your divorce, settlement information and children from previous marriages.

The solicitor will also ask for information relating to the reasons behind your divorce and details regarding your relationship breakdown. This will include:

• Who initially requested the divorce?
• Are you both certain that you want a divorce?
• Have you and your spouse already separated? If so, when?
• Are either you or your spouse in a new relationship?
• Are there any concerning factors such as abuse, domestic violence or hidden finances.

If your spouse has sent you any written communication relating to the divorce, or if you have kept a record of conversations that you have had about divorcing, it will be helpful for your solicitor to see these too.

Discussing the Desired Outcome

Your solicitor will be keen to understand your desired outcome for the divorce to ensure that they can achieve the best settlement for you. To do this, they will need to know what you aim to achieve with regards to the care of any children, the division of assets, who will live in the family home and any other particular concerns such as pets, prized possessions or a family business.

If you are concerned that your spouse may try to hide assets or leave the country with your children, it is important that your solicitor is made aware of your concerns as soon as possible. Your divorce solicitor can then take appropriate steps to help mitigate against these concerns.

Financial Matters

One of the key considerations in any divorce is the financial concerns of a couple. Your solicitor will aim to ensure that you can achieve a break from your spouse without losing finances unfairly. To do this, the solicitor will need to know about the following:

• Shared property that you have. You will need to confirm whether you jointly own a family home or if you rent. The value of an owned property will be required, as will details of any mortgage on it.
• Employment and salary details. The solicitor will need to know about your jobs and earnings as well as any income received through non-employment sources such as savings or benefits.
• Savings details. If either of you have any savings or investments, the value of these accounts will be required.
• Debts. The solicitor will need to know about any shared or individual debts you have and the amounts owed.
• Assets. If you own any valuable possessions, inform your solicitor and provide details of how they were acquired.
• Expenditure details. The solicitor will need to know about your outgoings as this may impact on the financial awards given at settlement, particularly if one of you will be the prime carer for any children.

Things to Ask Your Divorce Solicitor before Hiring

It is likely that you will have many different questions to ask a divorce solicitor and because divorce can be an emotional process, it is wise to make a list of your queries before the meeting. Some of the likely questions that you may have include:

• The level of experience and success that your solicitor has had and whether they will be solely responsible for your case.
• How much the advice and services will cost.
• When you will need to pay the solicitor and whether any financial support is available to you.
• How long will the divorce take to complete?
• Can they offer immediate advice to secure your position and protect you, your children and assets?