Before You File: A Divorce Consultation Preparation Kit (Printable PDF)

Walk into your first attorney meeting organized, clear, and ready with the questions that matter most.

The days before a divorce consultation can feel like trying to hold everything at once. The bills. The house. The kids’ schedules. The account you’re not sure about. The question you meant to ask and forgot the moment you sat down. Consultations move quickly, and stress makes it hard to think clearly in the room.

Before You File gives all of it a place to go. It’s a 24-page printable kit that helps you sort through your finances, your children’s routines, and any agreements you and your spouse have discussed, so you can explain your situation clearly and leave with real answers.

You don’t need every answer before your meeting. You just need a clear place to start.

What you’ll organize

• Your three biggest questions and any immediate concerns about housing, bills, or access to money
• Accounts, household income, monthly expenses, and debts, with verified figures kept separate from guesses
• The house and its ongoing costs: mortgage, taxes, insurance, repairs, and who pays now
• Any agreements you and your spouse have discussed, tracked one topic at a time
• Your children’s current routines, parenting decisions, and any disputed concerns
• Questions to ask about mediation
• Questions to ask about consultation fees, retainers, and what could change the cost
• A document checklist, a fact tracker, consultation notes, and a next-steps page

The detail most people miss

“We agree that Alex will keep the house and pay the mortgage.” It sounds settled. But whose names are on the deed? Who pays the taxes and repairs? Is anyone owed a share of the equity? What happens if a payment is missed? The kit walks through this exact example, step by step, so you can see how an idea you both share becomes a set of clear questions for your attorney instead of an assumption that causes trouble later.

This kit is for you if

• You have a first consultation coming up and your thoughts feel scattered
• You and your spouse believe you agree on some things and want to present that clearly
• You have children and want to describe their routines and your concerns factually
• You want to understand the fees before you commit to anything

Created from experience

A.R. Hope created this kit after working on countless divorce cases involving property division and parent-child relationship suits. That experience shaped every page: the questions that tend to get forgotten, the assumptions that cause problems later, and the details that come up again and again.

What this kit is, and what it isn’t

Before You File is an educational organizer designed to help you prepare. It is not legal advice, legal forms, or a filing packet, and it doesn’t explain the law in your state. It works alongside an attorney, not in place of one. It also includes guidance on keeping sensitive information secure, plus a safety resource if you need it.

Purchase is subject to the Terms of Purchase & License.

Details

• 24-page printable PDF
• Instant digital download
• Print extra worksheet pages for your personal use as often as you need

$19.99. Download it today and start with page 4: your three biggest questions.