What to Expect at Your First Divorce Consultation
Most people who call our office have never hired a lawyer before. They are not sure what a consultation involves, whether they need to have made any decisions yet, or what happens if they say the wrong thing. So here is exactly what to expect, what to bring, and how to get the most out of the meeting.
You do not need to have decided anything
A consultation is not a commitment to file for divorce, and it is not a commitment to hire us. It is information gathering.
Plenty of people meet with an attorney months or even years before they take any action, and some never take action at all. Understanding your options is not the same as exercising them.
You also do not need to explain yourself. We will not ask why your marriage is ending or whether you have tried counseling. Illinois is a no-fault state, and our job is to give you accurate information about where you stand, not to weigh in on your personal decisions.
We cannot tell you whether you should get a divorce, but we can tell you what the process would look like if you do.
The conversation is confidential
What you tell an attorney in a consultation is confidential and generally protected by attorney-client privilege, whether or not you hire us. We do not tell your spouse that you met with us.
One important note: privilege protects conversations between you and the attorney. If you bring a friend or family member into the meeting, what is said in front of them may lose that protection. Support people are welcome in the waiting room, but the meeting itself should be just you.
What we will talk about
A first consultation usually covers four things:
The basics of your situation:
how long you have been married,
whether you have children,
what you and your spouse each do for work, and
a general picture of what you own and owe.
You do not need exact numbers. Ballpark figures are fine at this stage.
What matters most to you. For some people it is the parenting schedule. For others it is keeping the house, protecting a business, or simply getting through the process without unnecessary conflict. Knowing your priorities shapes everything else.
How Illinois law applies to your facts. We will walk through what the law says about parenting time, child support, maintenance, and property division as it relates to your circumstances, in plain language.
Next steps and cost. We will explain what the process would look like, what is urgent and what can wait, and what representation would cost, so you can make an informed decision on your own timeline.
What to bring
You do not need a binder of documents to have a productive consultation. Nothing is mandatory, but if you can pull a few things together, the conversation will be more specific and more useful:
A completed intake form
Recent pay stubs or a rough idea of both incomes
Your most recent tax return
A simple list of your:
assets and debts
real property
retirement accounts
vehicles
credit cards
loans
Any existing court orders or agreements, especially a prenuptial agreement if you have one
Anything you have been served with, if a case has already been filed
Just as useful is a list of your questions. People often leave a consultation and remember three things they meant to ask. Write them down beforehand and work through the list.
If you cannot get any of this together, come anyway. Missing documents are normal, especially when one spouse handles the finances. Identifying what you do not have access to is part of the work, and there are legal tools for getting it later.
A few practical tips
Be candid, including about the bad facts. The consultation is the wrong place to present a polished version of your situation. If there is something you are worried about, such as a text message you regret, a financial mistake, or an incident with the police, say so. We can only plan around problems we know exist, and we are family law attorneys. We have heard it before.
Ask about strategy, not just outcomes. No lawyer can guarantee a specific result. What we can do is explain the realistic range of outcomes on your facts and how to position your case well from the start.
And pay attention to fit. You are choosing someone to guide you through one of the more difficult stretches of your life. You should leave the meeting feeling that your questions were answered directly and that you understood everything that was said. If you did not, keep looking.
Ready to talk?
LaRocque Law handles divorce, parenting, and related family law matters throughout the Chicago area. Consultations are by appointment only. Call (312) 584-3456 or schedule online using this link.
This article is for general information and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
