There are a number of items which you will need to gather to provide to your lawyer when you are in the process of separating. In anticipation of meeting with your lawyer, you should gather such disclosure as:
- Your (and your spouse’s) Income Tax Return &
- Notice of Assessment – 3 most recent years
- If you are an employee: 3 most recent pay stubs
- If you own your own business: financial statements for 3 most recent years
- Recent photograph of your spouse
- Official marriage certificate – from Vital Statistics, if available
- Any agreements or court orders respecting this relationship
- Receipts for any children’s “special expenses”, if child support is an issue
- Recent appraisal for your home(s)
- Most Recent Statements for your Mortgage(s), Loan(s), Line(s) of Credit, Credit Card(s), Bank Account(s), RRSP(s), Pension(s), Investment(s)
- Monthly budget of expenses, if spousal support is an issue
- And… any other document or financial information that is relevant to your matter
Long enough list? I recommend that you start gathering this disclosure information as soon as possible, and bring it to your initial consultation with your lawyer. Eventually, you will be required to disclose some or all of the above documents to your spouse or their lawyer, so by gathering it early before the pressure is on from the other side, you are doing yourself a huge favour.