Initial Consultation
Your initial consultation with M.W. Law, PPLC will last approximately one hour. Your initial consultation will be more productive if you arrive prepared for the appointment. If available, you will need to bring the following documents to your scheduled consultation:
Personal Information & Documents - You will need to have the following information for you, your spouse/partner/family member, and your children: social security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, contact information, employment information, date of marriage, date of separation, and school/daycare information.
Court Documents - If you have received notice of court filings pertaining to your legal issue or, if there were legal filings previously filed that relate to the same persons or issues of your current legal issue, you will need to bring copies of the documents to your initial consultation. More importantly, if there is a previous court order in a related case, you must bring a copy of the previous court order to your appointment.
Timeline of Relevant Events - You should create a timeline of the significant events relevant to your case. Significant events may include: dates of contact with the adverse party, dates of visitation with your child(ren), dates that child support payment were issued or received, dates that domestic violence disturbances, and dates of extramarital affairs.
Financial Documents - In order to evaluate the division of marital debts and assets, the potential for alimony, and/or an approximate child support obligation, you should bring the following financial documents to your consultation: six recent, consecutive pay stubs; copies of the your last two (2) years tax returns; current account statements for loans (mortgage/car/school/independent) and current account statements for credit, checking, savings, and 401K accounts.
Documentary Evidence - Documentary evidence is evidence that supports the facts of your case. Examples of documentary evidence are: text messages, emails, police reports, pictures, visual or audio recordings, private investigator reports, medical records, school records, and child support payment records.
Payments - Often during the initial consultation, the attorney will determine that the client has a time sensitive or emergent issue that requires immediate legal action. The initial engagement fee, or flat fee, must be paid, and a professional services contract must be signed before legal representation can be provided.