A first consultation is worth far more when you arrive with the paperwork. Here is the short list we send every client before we meet, and why each item matters.
The financial picture
Three years of tax returns, recent pay stubs for both spouses, statements for every bank, retirement and brokerage account, and the mortgage statement. Illinois divides the marital estate equitably, and equitably means nothing until somebody knows what the estate contains.
The documents you may not think of
Any prenuptial or postnuptial agreement, deeds for property owned before the marriage, business records if either of you owns a share of one, and a list of debts in either name.
What you actually want
Write down, in plain sentences, what a good outcome looks like for you — on parenting time, on the house, on support. It does not have to be realistic yet. It gives us somewhere to start, and it is often the most useful thing on the table.
