There are many things you can do to start preparing for your Temporary Hearing in advance. Typically, you will need to make two one hour appointments.
The Court will primarily be looking at your financial declaration (you can find this under “FORMS” on the FAMILY LAW section of our website) and affidavits. There is a separate FAQ about how to fill out a financial declaration. Try to fill it out the best you can, and bring it to your first appointment along with a paycheck or other indicia of your income. If you are self-employed, it will be useful to have your accountant assist in the preparation of the financial declaration and provide some type of verification that it is accurate. The attorney will review it with you and help you as needed.
There is a separate FAQ on the website about how to prepare affidavits. Keep in mind that we are limited to 8 pages of affidavits unless your hearing has been set for more than 15 minutes. That being said, most Judges appreciate concise affidavits. For the client, it is best not to worry about any page limitations: I prefer that you provide me with a very long, detailed “marital history”, which I can use to prepare your affidavit. There is a FAQ on the website that explains the “marital history”.
If family or friends or other third parties will be preparing an Affidavit for you, please refer them to our website about how to prepare an affidavit. They may also forward a “draft” to me prior to having it notarized. The sooner you are able to obtain those, the better, so we will know how long your affidavit can be if we are limited to the 8 pages.
Other documents that may be used are the Parenting Plan (also available on the website) and the Temporary Information Sheet (also on the website). These forms are only used if there are children involved.
You should also be using this time to gather copies of all bills as they existed on the date of filing, making a list of any assets you want from the residence if you are the one who left, and making a list of all assets your spouse removed if they are the ones who left.
If you need assistance with your case, contact our firm by calling (864) 432-5353 or filling out our online contact form.