A Queens divorce discovery attorney can help you when you are preparing for every different aspect of your divorce to be handled through litigation or the courts. A Queens discovery divorce lawyer will help you to prepare all of the documentation that will be presented to the courts as it relates to the distribution of marital property. If you’ve been separated for some time, it’s hard to tell what property should be included.
You cannot be sure that there will be an equitable distribution of marital property until you've put together an appropriate inventory of all the assets and liabilities in a marriage. This can be a complicated process and one that requires insight from a lawyer. Understanding how discovery works and ensuring that you have all of the proper paperwork gathered can give you a much better chance of success and overall understanding in these issues.
Discovery usually begins with a preliminary conference and this is staged early on in the divorce. This is the conference established by the court to put together a timeline for the case and to identify which issues, if any, could be settled early on. This can also deal with any other preliminary issues and orders that are pending. Many preliminary orders may be made on consent of both parties, covering matters like scheduling discovery dates.
Any pendente lite requests such as maintenance, child support and other day to day expenses may need to be addressed at this time as well. Any preliminary issue that cannot be resolved at this time will be dealt with in a pendente lite motion. Whether or not the parties consent, the courts put together a preliminary conference order that establishes dates for the exchange of the following information.
This includes an appraisal of pensions, appraisal of real estate, appraisal of business, appraisal of any other assets, interrogatories, deposition and notice for discovery and inspection. Discovery is often a crucial component of the outcome of a divorce case because it will stipulate which matters are to be divided in terms of assets and liabilities.
Many parties who are approaching divorce for the first time do not realize the importance of having an appropriate inventory gathered early on in the case. The more clear the inventory the easier it will be for the court to identify the critical issues involved in the divorce and if the other party is attempting to disclose information, this can be raised by a knowledgeable attorney. In some situations, one party may have significant assets that they are attempting to hide within a business or in other vehicles. If you’re curious about credit defenses to protect your credit score, too, you’ll want a knowledgable lawyer for this aspect of your case.
This information should be investigated promptly and this is why discovery has such important implications for both parties. Discovery can be a confusing process for a person who has never been through a divorce before, particularly as it relates to any interrogatories and needing to collect a great deal of any personal and financial information. An attorney who has helped many other people through this situation and who has helped explain the various phases of the process can make all individuals involved in the divorce discovery process feel much more confident about the case moving forward.
Discovery usually can take a significant amount of time if there are a great deal of assets to be discussed but an experienced lawyer will be able to prepare for these interrogatories and depositions as effectively as possible to make the best use of time. Given the potential outcomes associated with the discovery process, it is important to be extremely prepared and to have an attorney who is experienced with investigating all of the possible issues associated with the determination of financial assets inside the divorce.