During your divorce, your North York divorce lawyer might advise you to keep a journal, hold on to receipts or file away bills, statements and other financial information. That’s because a paper trail—evidence of what has happened and when—can be an invaluable asset in putting together your case. Having an accurate picture of your everyday life can help your lawyer work on the child custody agreement, spousal support and child support aspects of your case.
Keeping a Journal
If your North York divorce lawyer suggests that you keep a journal during your divorce, the benefits are twofold. A journal gives you a way to vent your feelings; at the same time, it’s a place to write down what your ex did or said that may have an impact on your case. For example, if your ex consistently fails to pick up your kids for visitation, he or she calls and threatens you or does something awful, like drains your joint bank account, you’ll have times and dates readily available when your lawyer needs them.
Hanging on to Bills and Financial Statements
Your North York divorce lawyer will probably suggest that you keep all your bills, financial statements and receipts in a file. Keeping track of your expenses, whether you’re paying for a child’s extracurricular activities or you’re making mortgage payments, will help your lawyer get you what you’re entitled to receive in court.
Your lawyer might suggest that you create a budget or work with a financial adviser in order to set yourself up for financial success once the divorce is final. The information you gather will probably be helpful to the courts in determining child support, spousal support and property division during your divorce.
What to Tell Your Lawyer
In most cases, you’ll need to tell your North York divorce lawyer everything. He or she can best help you when you provide plenty of information. Your lawyer can’t help you solve a problem if he or she doesn’t know it exists—so any time something noteworthy happens, make a quick phone call or send an email to keep your lawyer in the loop. Document everything in your journal and hold on to both paper and digital records for financial transactions; that way, you have all the information you need at your fingertips.
