If you are considering divorce, you should have a clear idea of the documents which you might require. Whether it is a contested divorce or an uncontested one, you will be better-off if you have secured the required divorce documents and placed them (along with their photocopies) at a safe and accessible place.
Following are the seven sets of legal documents needed for divorce:
1. Income Documents
You will be required to refer to following income documents during a divorce case. Therefore you should have the recent versions of:
- Paycheck statement of your spouse.
- Tax Returns (if possible schedules and supporting documents of the tax returns)
2. Monthly Bank Statements
A monthly bank statement is vital in some divorce cases, as it furnishes you with other potentially required leads like deposit slips and cancelled checks etc. Ideally you should have all the bank statements dating back to your marriage. If it is not possible, you should have recent bank statements of all the accounts you have (joint and individual).
3. Pension Account (401k)
You should have the latest copies of:
- Account statement of pension account
- A pre-marriage account statement
4. Records of Credit Card Transactions
A complete record of your credit card statements will help you identify questionable transactions and purchases of your spouse. Therefore a credit card record will equip you with the evidence you might need.
5. Real Estate Credential
When filing for a divorce you should have following real estate property documents:
- Deed of Trust
- Warranty Deed
- Documents testifying prior-marriage individually owned real estate assets
- Purchase slips or refinancing documents at the end of closing( if possible)
6. Debt and Mortgage Statements
- Latest statements indicating payoff balance
- Creditor’s statement indicating payoff position (only applicable to the coupon book type of debts and mortgages records)
7. Relevant Faxes, Emails etc.
All of kinds of correspondences are important for evidence sake in a divorce case. These will prove handy in establishing the grounds for a divorce. Communication between any of the following parties can prove to be of substantial value:
- Correspondence between you and your spouse ( incase s/he makes an admission)
- Communication between your spouse and a third person (s/he makes an admission or the nature of discussion i.e. between your spouse and his/her paramour)
These are the handiest seven sets of legal divorce documents needed. However you cannot figure out on your own, which documents are most relevant and thus most valuable in your divorce case. A professional
divorce attorney (divorce lawyer) can help you with this. S/he will give you expert divorce advice according to the nature of your divorce case and determine which documents will get you the maximum number of advantages.
