What to Expect During Your First Consultation with an Irvine Divorce Attorney?

What to Expect During Your First Consultation with an Irvine Divorce Attorney?

Updated: March 07, 2025
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What to Expect During Your First Consultation with an Irvine Divorce Attorney?

If you are expecting or going through a divorce, you likely have more questions than answers. How will the process pan out? How to hire the right attorney? What to expect during the initial consultation?

In this article, we'll clear the clutter on the last question and help you prepare for your initial consultation with an Irvine divorce attorney.

Spouses undergoing divorce must go through various legal steps to determine how their marriage will be officially dissolved. When dealing with such issues, hiring an attorney specializing in family law matters to assist you is crucial. The start of a client-attorney relationship is the initial consultation. To prepare for your first session with your potential attorney, you must know what to expect.

Preparing for the Initial Consultation

The first meeting with your attorney is aimed at helping you understand your rights, options, and the best course of action to achieve a favorable outcome. There are several key things to keep in mind to ensure your first session is productive. Let's take a look at how to prepare for your initial consultation with an Irvine divorce attorney:

  1. Gather Important Documents

    Gather all essential documents before your consultation. Consider documents like marriage certificates, financial records, tax returns, marital agreements, property deeds, and any other pre-existing agreement you have with your spouse. The more information you have, the better your attorney will understand your situation.

  2. Ask Relevant Questions

    Prepare a list of questions to ask in the first meeting. Ask questions like how marital assets will be distributed, child custody be divided, whether you're eligible to pay/receive child support and alimony, and other specific concerns. The answers to these questions will help you make the most of the consultation and make informed decisions on how to proceed.

  3. Record Important Information

    If you are expecting to be served or want to file divorce yourself, it's essential to document key information like dates, events, incidents, and discussions. The attorney will be able to paint a better picture of your case and evaluate the best way to meet your goals. These tiny bits of information will enable your lawyer to provide strategic counsel and guidance.

  4. Understand your Goals

    Before you consult with an Irvine divorce attorney, you should know your needs and goals. Contemplate key aspects like child custody, asset division, financial situation, and the well-being of your children. When you have clearly defined goals, your attorney will be better able to grasp your case, understand the issues to be addressed, and advocate for your interests to reach the desired outcome.

  5. Prepare Financially

    Divorce has significant financial implications. That is why, you should know whether you can afford the attorney you are consulting. It's best to discuss their legal fee and consultation fee in advance to avoid unexpected surprises and maintain financial transparency. Financially preparing in advance will provide you with peace of mind and focus during the consultation without being distracted.

  6. Have Realistic Expectations

    Managing expectations is one of the most crucial aspects when choosing an attorney. Divorce and family law matters involve heightened emotions, and attaining the desired outcome isn't always guaranteed. A straightforward and experienced attorney will provide an honest assessment of your case. They will inform you what to expect realistically, which may not always align with your goals or expectations. Approach the consultation with an open mind to better understand your legal situation and move forward.

Which Documents Should you Bring?

Divorce is complicated and requires spouses to divide assets and custody of their children. California divorces are governed by community property laws, which state that all assets and debts acquired during marriage will be split 50/50 between the spouses. These proceedings can become highly nuanced, especially if high net-worth assets are involved.

It's critical that your attorney understands these intricacies during the initial consultation. Gather all relevant documents that paint a clear picture of your circumstances. Some common documents that are essential to the divorce process include, but are not limited to:

  1. The divorce petition, if already filed
  2. Tax returns (Individual & business)
  3. Pension, IRA, & 401k records
  4. Recent pay stubs
  5. Recent bank statements

What will Happen During the Consultation?

The first consultation with an attorney lasts for a limited period. The attorney will ask you several questions related to your marriage to understand your goals. Here are some questions you may expect:

  1. What is the length of your marriage?
  2. Are there are children involved?
  3. What are the assets and debts owned by you and your spouse
  4. What is the income and employment history of you and your spouse?

Additionally, here are some information that you should provide to your attorney:

  1. A brief overview of your marriage
  2. Key information regarding your spouse, your children, and yourself
  3. Your current situation
  4. The arrangement and outcome you desire
  5. Any specific information relevant to your case

Should you Bring Support?

No one marries expecting that it will end one day. Due to this fact, divorce can become an emotionally turbulent journey where prudent decision-making is impaired. Having emotional support throughout the process can significantly ease your transition during this difficult time.

At Jos Family Law, we encourage customers to bring their loved ones to the initial consultation. This may include friends, family, or even colleagues. An additional benefit of being accompanied during your consultation is that they can ask questions and think from an outside purview, without being too invested emotionally.

Schedule a Consultation with Jos Family Law

Jos Family Law is a reputed law firm of experienced divorce and family law attorneys guiding clients through contested and uncontested divorce, child custody, child support, asset division, and spousal support.

If you are searching for an Irvine divorce attorney, feel free to contact Jos Family Law today. We will help you understand your rights and options during a comprehensive, no-obligation consultation.


Jos Family Law

Get In Touch

Our attorneys are here to help you during every stage of your case. Schedule a confidential consultation and know your options with the seasoned counsel of top family law attorneys.

Contact Information

Please call, email, or contact our office online to arrange an appointment for your case today.

Get In Touch

Our attorneys are here to help you during every stage of your case. Schedule a confidential consultation and know your options with the seasoned counsel of top family law attorneys.

Contact Information

Please call, email, or contact our office online to arrange an appointment for your case today.

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Sonia Fernández

Jos exhibits exceptional compassion and understanding, promptly addressing all inquiries to facilitate clarity and calm throughout the process with comprehensive and sincere explanations. He offers potential solutions to minimize unnecessary court costs. His team operates efficiently and effectively to complete the task. I highly recommend this law firm as it operates with integrity.

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Carlos Serrano

Thank you very much to Mr. Jos and to all his group of professionals who helped me get out of my child support case with a very good result. Each case is different and my case was very complicated. I live in the state of Virginia and the child support office of the state of California was starting a case against me, the amount they wanted me to pay was ridiculously high I didn't know what to do because I don't live in California and I had never met the child either. I searched online for a lawyer in California and thank God I found Mr. Jos's law office. I don't know them personally but I put my trust in them and they didn't disappoint me. We had very good communication despite the distance and they were always available to talk to me and clarify my doubts. Mr. James was the one who took my case to the end and after a long and very difficult process everything went very well in my favor much more than expected. I am very grateful to God for putting the entire team of professionals from Mr. Jos' office on my way. Words are not enough for me to describe everything they did for me and how grateful I am. I definitely recommend Mr. Jos's law firm. Thank you Mr. James for not giving up in my case and having achieved a magnificent result in my favor.

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Alexandra Duvall

Jos Family Law has been absolutely fantastic in helping me through my child custody case. Mr Jos communicated with me throughout the entire process. He was very empathetic and understanding with my case and my concerns. The team was always supportive and never once did I feel like they didn’t take my case seriously. I’m so grateful I chose this law firm to represent me and I would 100% recommend this team to anyone seeking assistance. In the end I received the outcome I was looking for which was Sole Physical Custody. Thank you so much Jos Family for representing me.

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Marco Galatro

This was the second attorney that represented me for my divorce. Binoye is a very knowledgeable, fair, and professional attorney. They are reliable and this made my experience way less painful. They are definitely not greedy for money, they are not one of the many attorneys out there who overbill for their services. I truly recommend them.

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Roya

Mr. Jos is by far the best attorney l've ever had to work with. He is diligent, extremely prepared and informed and patient with his clients and goes above and beyond the call of duty to make sure you get the results you are hoping for. I recommend him to anyone who needs a Family attorney.

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Ricardo Lajaruna

My most sincere gratitude to the attorney Mr. James Sowers, who is very knowledgeable about the law, works with and for his clients. He is very transparent, honest and I am very grateful for his great support. His legal representation is highly recommended!!!

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Nader Zayid

JOS family Law took on my case which entailed custody and move away components and I honestly could not say enough great things about JOS Family Law! Mr. Jos is not only extremely knowledgeable and professional, but it is also extremely obvious how much he cares for his clients on a personal level as well. There is an expression that two heads are better than one, however, Mr. Jos' philosophy takes it further as eight heads are better than two. It was so impressive and reassuring how collaborative everyone at the office works together to meet on regular cadences and discuss their client's cases to brainstorm strategies in order to seek the best possible outcome for their clients. Mr. Jos has an amazing team of extremely talented and knowledgeable attorneys that have worked together on my case. James was the lead attorney on my case and also represented me in my hearing. James was able to get us everything we were asking for as he successfully proved that full custody remaining with me is in the best interest of the children and that the move away is in the best interest of the children as well. We were able to come up with a plan to ensure that the children's mother can visit regularly and still maintain a healthy relationship. James is a rock star attorney! I would without hesitation refer anyone seeking help in a family law matter to call Jos Family Law!

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(714) 733-7066