Going through a divorce is not easy. Not only is the divorce process incredibly emotional for all parties involved, but there are significant complexities involved that many people are not aware of. Many of these difficulties arise from the sheer amount of information that is needed especially if you are asking for or fighting against a claim for alimony or spousal support. This also applies if you are trying to modify or terminate alimony or spousal support. Here, a divorce attorney in Salt Lake City, Utah Emy Cordano wants to discuss some of the types of information that will be needed in such instances.
An Alimony Case: Documents, Documents, and More Documents
Documents are an essential part of the divorce process. When you think about marriage, each day, you and your spouse have made choices. These choices are documented in just about every possible way. This can include choices that are documented in your credit card and bank statements, in your tax returns, or various other types of documents pertaining to your life.
Documents tell stories, and they are very hard to dispute. Essentially, documents are objective witnesses that can be brought into evidence to either help or hinder your divorce process. Your family law attorney will need various types of documents from you when working on getting you through your divorce in the best possible position.
Some of the most important documents that you will need when working through divorce include the following:
- Various financial statements
- Tax returns
- Brokerage account statements
- Retirement account statements
- Information related to pensions
- Business incorporation or acquisition paperwork
- Mortgage contracts
- Credit card statements
- Invoices and bills for household expenses, utilities, vehicle expenses, child expenses, medical expenses
- Receipts for payments made on the household, utilities, vehicles, child, healthcare and many more
The good news is that most of this information is usually available online, where you will be able to download and print out the documents. However, this can become complicated because it is not uncommon for only one spouse to have their name on a particular account, even if the assets in the account belong to both spouses. If you are the spouse without your name on a particular account, it may take a little more wrangling during the divorce process (usually between your attorney and your spouse’s attorney) to uncover the necessary documentation and will likely involve having to subpoena the information directly from the institution in question.
A Smoking Gun Document
There are times when one or two documents will contain a “smoking gun,” or a particularly damaging statement that proves incidents of infidelity, tax fraud, shady business dealings, and more. If you think you have documents that show a smoking gun against your spouse, your attorney certainly needs to have this information. Conversely, if you think there may be a smoking gun that your spouse could use against you, do not hide this from your attorney. Social media should be included here. If you have any history on social media that may damage you, it is vital to disclose this to your attorney. The more information that your attorney has about the situation, the better they will be able to protect you throughout the divorce process.
Contact our Salt Lake City divorce lawyer today
Salt Lake City family law attorney Emy Cordano is standing by to help you through what is likely one of the most challenging times of your life. Preparation means success and Emy Cordano can help you prepare whether you are already in a divorce or modification or are considering one. Attorney Cordano has extensive experience handling a wide range of family law issues, including:
When you need a Salt Lake City family law attorney by your side, you can contact us by clicking here or call us at (801) 901-8159 for an initial consultation. Please know that without an attorney, you will jeopardize your case because only an attorney with experience will know what documentation will be critical to your claims.