How to prepare for an initial consultation with a family solicitor

We appreciate how nervous you may feel before an initial consultation with a family solicitor. To help you understand what to expect and how to prepare for such a meeting, we’ve put together a useful guide.

When to seek advice

Living with uncertainty is anxiety inducing. Given this, it is never too early to seek legal advice to address your concerns. Being armed with the correct legal information specific to your personal circumstances, will help to minimise any stress and empower you to make informed decisions moving forward.

Our initial consultation

At Tisshaws we offer an initial consultation for up to an hour, during which we can learn about your specific situation, answer your questions, explain your options and offer legal advice to help you move forward. The fee for this is £100 (incl. VAT), which represents exceptional value for money. While some solicitors offer a 30-minute free consultation, we do not consider this long enough to both address your issues and to advise you appropriately.

The initial consultation is also a chance for you to see if you would like to work with us, although there is no obligation or commitment to do so or to make any decisions on moving forward with your case.

What to bring

Do spend some time thinking about all the issues you need help with and bring a list of questions. Never feel your questions are too basic or inappropriate – we are here to support you and give you the confidence to make the right decisions for you moving forward.

More specifically, you will need to bring:

• ID such as a passport or driving licence.
• Utility bill or bank statement with your address on which is less than two months old.
• If you wish to discuss divorce, your marriage certificate.
• Any letters or documents from other solicitors or the courts relevant to the issues you wish to discuss.
• Some knowledge of the status of your financial position in terms of mortgage, bank accounts and income (no proof of these is necessary at this stage).

Bringing a friend

We are happy for you to bring a trusted friend along for support. However, do be aware that we will ask questions of a personal and sensitive nature and so you must be happy to discuss these issues in front of your friend. It’s also important to ensure that your friend does not attempt to take over the appointment by discussing their views relating to your problems.

Bringing children

We would not advise bringing children to an initial consultation unless absolutely necessary. The meeting needs to focus solely on you and children can be distracting. What’s more, even young children can pick up on what is being discussed and this can cause upset.

Moving forward

Hopefully the meeting will provide you with the legal solutions and knowledge to help you make informed decisions in moving forwards. Sometimes it is enough just to know your legal position and take some time to reflect on if, and how, you wish to proceed.

As mentioned above, the cost of our initial consultation for up to one hour is £100 (incl. VAT) and there is no obligation, so if you decide we are not a good fit for you, or that you are not ready to proceed, there is no commitment to continue the process.

If you are struggling with divorce, separation or other family law issue and would like to book an initial consultation, please call us on 01444 472700, email us at [email protected] or complete the sign up form below.