Welcome to Divorce | The Final Divide
Arizona Divorce Laws Article
This is a selection made from among articles on Arizona Divorce Laws. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for future reading, click here.
Seven Sets of Documents You Need For Your Divorce
from: Scott MorganThis article is designed to give someone who is considering or planning for the possibility of divorce an idea of what documents are needed. Even if you believe your case is ultimately agreed to and settled without a trial, you will be in a much better position if you already have the relevant documents in your possession. Better safe than sorry.
You should locate the relevant documents, make copies, and keep them somewhere secure, like your office or with a friend. You will then have access when it is needed.
Here are the most important seven categories of documents you should focus on.
1. Income Documents
Your spouse's income is relevant to a number of issues in a divorce case. At a minimum, get your spouse's last paycheck statement and your most recent tax return. Ideally, you would have access to all tax returns filed during the marriage, along with all supporting documents and schedules.
2. Bank Records
The monthly bank statements are very important and can lead you to other documents (cancelled checks, deposit slips, registers, etc.) that you also may need to obtain. Get at least the most recent statement for each account that is either held in your name, your spouse's name, or jointly. If possible, get copies of all statements going back to the date of marriage. In most cases this volume of records is not required, but in some cases these records can be very helpful and even necessary to analyze the case.
3. Retirement and Other Investment Records
Often the biggest asset a couple will own will be a 401k or pension account. So you will definitely want the most recent account statement and ideally all statements dating back to the time of marriage. Also, the last statement prior to marriage can be very significant (especially in community property states) to show the pre-marriage balance.
4. Credit Card statements
Again the most recent statements are a necessity, but a lot of important evidence can be garnered from the historical statements. In some cases, the credit card statements will show questionable transactions that can be of real evidentiary value. For example, they might show evidence of gifts or dinners purchased for paramours, questionable hotel rentals, or other dubious purchases.
5. Real estate documents
The most important real estate documents are the Deed of Trust and Warranty Deed for any property you currently own. If you have the entire file from (the giant stack of paper you got after the closing) for each real estate purchase or refinance transaction during the marriage it can be helpful. Additionally, documents evidencing real estate owned by either spouse prior to marriage can be significant, especially in community property states.
6. Mortgage statements & any Other Debts
You should get the most recent statements showing the current payoff balance for any other debts. For those debts that have only a coupon book with no regularly generated statements showing the current balance, you will probably need to contact the creditor by phone for the current payoff information.
7. Relevant emails or other correspondence
Correspondence or emails can be extremely helpful (or damaging, depending on your viewpoint) pieces of evidence in the case. Whether the communication is between spouses or between a spouse and some third-party, the communication is potentially relevant. Two common examples would be where your spouse makes a damaging admission about some issue in the case, or communications with paramours.
Conclusion
Determining which documents you need to obtain for your divorce case can be a very time-consuming and daunting task. Use this list as a starting point and discuss your situation with a quality divorce attorney. This person should be able to advise you specifically on the documents you need to obtain in order to protect your interests.
About the Author
Scott Morgan has been a practicing divorce attorney since 1994. To learn about California divorce visit www.california-divorce-info.com for a litany of divorce resources, a free newsletter, and a local attorney directory.
Warning: file(http://www.searchfeed.com/rd/feed/TextFeed.jsp?trackID=C0534527057&pID=59827&cat=arizona+divorce+laws&nl=5&page=1&excID=) [function.file]: failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found
in /home/aldouspi/public_html/divorce/datas/searchfeed.php on line 8
Arizona Divorce Laws Specific links
Arizona Divorce Laws News
Sad end to a story that should have never happened - Tucson Citizen
Sad end to a story that should have never happened Tucson Citizen ... sometimes public marriage – later divorce – that he tried so hard to make work. It was clear Arizona needed players. And quality players at that. ... |
Oscar's story: College degree, but no papers - CNN (blog)
Oscar's story: College degree, but no papers CNN (blog) Find out more: http://on.cnn.com/9TQYuM #CNN @amFIX: Portions of Arizona's controversial immigration law go into effect today. Chat w/ us during the show: ... |
Tips for a friendly divorce - Chicago Sun-Times
Tips for a friendly divorce Chicago Sun-Times But Zarzynski, during 31 years of practice in Arizona, has seen the trend firsthand. When he started, mediated cases were rare. Ten years ago, he mediated ... |
For more couples, divorce can be on friendly terms - USA Today
For more couples, divorce can be on friendly terms USA Today ... a clinical social worker in Tucson, who is part of the Collaborative Law Group of Southern Arizona. She got involved in the friendly divorce movement in ... |
LA's two teams should be sellers - The Desert Sun
LA's two teams should be sellers The Desert Sun You think that divorce thing is hanging over Dodger Stadium like an elephant in the room? At an estimated $19 million, the divorce could be costing the ... |