Divorce Process Attorney in New York, New York

Can you provide a quick overview of the divorce process?

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I would say the divorce process starts

the minute that someone walks into my

office for a consultation now sometimes

they do it by Zoom since we’ve been

through covid and sometimes they may

even do it by phone but it’s the minute

that we have that first meeting that the

divorce process starts because that’s

the time I’m going to learn about you

and your family and I’m going to

understand what hopefully you know about

assets liabilities the finances in

general what your relationship is with

your children what the other party’s

relationship with your children is also

so who is for example the primary

caregiver who takes the children to the

doctor or goes to the parent teacher

conferences or works with you know the

other parents to organize play dates

does the homework with the children

picks up the children from school gets

the children to the bus maybe in the

morning I’m going to learn about that

during that first consultation I’m going

to learn about how you co-parent what is

the demeanor in the household is

everyone just frankly yelling and

screaming at each other or is it calm

and and very civilized how are you

co-parenting with the other parent I’m

also going to learn about what the

income is of each of you and so I

usually ask what are the assets what are

the liabilities what is the income what

does it all look like and then we go

through the process of what will it look

like later and obviously I don’t have

that crystal ball if I did it would be

great but I don’t have that crystal ball

to say what absolutely will happen but I

can give a range usually of what will

happen in a particular matter based upon

experience and based upon you know what

I know in terms of case law and what

area you may be in which county you may

be in what certain judges may think Etc

and then we will finish the consult and

either someone will retain me or not at

that point or go and think about it and

have other consultations if the person

retains me then we get started and we

get started as if we are preparing for

two things simultaneously settlement or

if it’s not settled litigation and by

the way just because we’re going into

litigation doesn’t mean that there may

not be a settlement at some point during

the litigation and we will be preparing

the case as if we’re doing both which

means we will be gathering the documents

from you and from your spouse we will be

sending out Discovery demands we will be

taking a deposition perhaps we will be

putting together a settlement proposal

depending upon whether we know enough to

do that whether you as the client know

enough to do that that’s the big

question always we want to put together

a settlement proposal that takes into

account that you know what the assets

liabilities the support that you’ll need

the support that actually supports your

lifestyle just to some degree and so we

put all of that together and we get

ready for either a settlement or

litigation and we take it all the way

until there’s a settlement that means

doing the discovery sending out the

notices doing the net worth statement

sending out deposition demands doing a

deposition perhaps having conferences in

court perhaps having settlement

conferences doing all of those types of

things and then hopefully we reach a

resolution and it’s so important to

reach that resolution because trial is

an expensive process and so we try to

reach a resolution in many of our cases

and in many we succeed but in the ones

that we don’t succeed in reaching

resolution we move forward to prepare

for a trial We Gather our exhibits we

outline Our Testimony we work with our

client we prepare our client for what

they’re going to feel like in that

courtroom and then we actually conduct

the trial if necessary

Contact Lisa Zeiderman

(212) 769-3500

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New York, NY family law attorney Lisa Zeiderman gives a quick overview of the divorce process. The divorce process begins as soon as an individual enters an attorney’s office for a consultation, whether in person, via Zoom, or over the phone. This initial meeting marks the start of the divorce proceedings, during which the attorney learns about the individual’s family dynamics, their understanding of assets, liabilities, and finances, and the relationships between the individual, their spouse, and their children.

During the consultation, the attorney seeks to understand who serves as the primary caregiver, who manages tasks such as taking the children to the doctor or attending parent-teacher conferences, and how the couple co-parents. The attorney also inquires about each party’s income, assets, and liabilities to create a comprehensive picture of the family’s financial situation.

While the attorney cannot predict the outcome with certainty, they can provide a range of possible outcomes based on their experience, relevant case law, and the specific circumstances of the county or judges involved. After the consultation, the client may choose to retain the attorney or seek additional consultations elsewhere.

If retained, the attorney prepares for both settlement and litigation simultaneously. It is important to note that entering litigation does not eliminate the possibility of settlement at any point. The preparation phase involves gathering documents from both parties, issuing discovery demands, and potentially taking depositions. The attorney may also begin drafting a settlement proposal if sufficient information is available.

The objective is to formulate a proposal that accurately reflects the client’s financial needs, including support that aligns with their lifestyle. The attorney guides the client through the discovery process, which includes sending out notices, preparing net worth statements, and conducting depositions. Settlement conferences and court appearances may also occur during this phase, with the goal of reaching a resolution, as trial can be an expensive process.

In many cases, the attorney successfully assists clients in reaching a resolution. However, if a resolution cannot be achieved, the attorney prepares for trial by gathering exhibits, outlining testimony, and preparing the client for the courtroom experience. Ultimately, the attorney conducts the trial if necessary.

Divorce Process Attorney in New York, New York

Can you provide a quick overview of the divorce process?

Contact Lisa Zeiderman

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