Today we’ve discussed Why Your Attorney Needs to Know Every Secret? in our post.

We all have secrets that we hold onto for dear life. We do everything in our power to keep them hidden, locked away in the closets of our minds. However, if you’re about to go through a divorce, or you’re already in the middle of one, you need to dust those skeletons off and parade them in front of your attorney. Why does your attorney need to know your darkest secrets?

Why Tell Your Attorney?

Your attorney needs to know anything that could come up in your divorce that might affect the outcome. Without this information, they cannot plan an effective offense or defense. Remember that lawyers don’t like surprises – anything that might affect the outcome of your case, whether for good or ill, needs to be on the table from the beginning. It’s also important to remember that anything you tell your attorney is protected by attorney/client privilege, so if it doesn’t come out in court, it will remain a safely guarded secret.

Furthermore in our post Why Your Attorney Needs to Know Every Secret?:

What Skeletons Should You Bring Out?

It’s easy to agree that your attorney needs to know your innermost secrets, but it’s harder coming to terms with which secrets you need to share. While your attorney won’t need to know every single thing about your past, they will need to know the following:

  • Have you ever had any form of substance abuse or addiction treatment?
  • Have you ever received treatment for a mental health condition?
  • Do you have any hidden assets that your spouse is not aware of, such as real property (boats, real estate, cars, etc.), investments, retirement accounts, or bank accounts?
  • Have you ever been convicted of a crime more serious than a minor traffic violation? If so, provide as much information as possible.
  • Did you ever have any extramarital affairs, even if those are not the reason for the divorce?
  • Are there any incidents in your past that could be used to undermine your ability as a parent or your credibility in general?
  • Have you done anything that your spouse might bring up during the divorce that they feel tilts things in their favor?
  • Have you ever attempted suicide?
  • Did you ever confide to someone that you were thinking about aborting any of the children that are the subject of the divorce?

Yes, bringing those skeletons out of the closet can be embarrassing, even painful. However, if there’s a chance that they’ll play a role in your divorce, your attorney needs to know.

 

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