Before visiting an attorney, take a few moments to gather the following documents. You can save yourself and your attorney time and energy and help reduce the stress involved in your divorce. While these documents are necessary for property division in a divorce, they also apply in many other situations, such as probate or for estate planning purposes.

• Agreements between the parties
• Federal and state individual tax returns and worksheets last five years.
• Gift and inheritance tax returns
• Current pay stubs for you and your spouse
• Business tax returns (federal and state for closely held businesses)
• Business records and employment agreements, particularly those related to ownership, assets, liabilities, income, and expenses
• Patents and copyrights
• Information on pensions, 401k and IRAs (account statements, copies of plans) for you and your spouse
• Information on investments (account statements, stocks, bonds, limited partnership agreements, reports on investments)
• Real estate records, including deeds, leases, tax assessments, mortgage documents and agreements
• Net worth statements or loan applications
• Resumes (current and those prepared before litigation was initiated)
• Personal and business bank statements and canceled checks
• Trusts
• Loan agreements for which client serves as guarantor
• Safety deposit box and vault records that reflect payment of lease, location of box or vault, and contents
• Insurance records, including policies, applications, invoices, and correspondence
• Medical and dental records
• Charge account records
• Records pertaining to cash expenditures
• Receipts and invoices (by type or above a certain dollar amount)
• Record of charitable contributions, including receipts, checks, correspondence, and reports
• Family budgets (before and after the decision to divorce)
• Record of education expenses (for parties or children), including tuition, room, board, books, contracts, and loans
• Record of household expenses for utilities, maintenance, improvements, repairs, household help, and any other related costs
• Travel records, including itineraries, tickets, passports, bills, receipts, photographs, films, videos, brochures
• Lists of personal property
• Appraisals of real estate, business interests, and personal property
• Court record of cases in which client, spouse, or closely held business is or has been a party (including prior divorces)
• Wills
• Death certificate (if applicable)
• Record of who has powers of attorney