Divorce is a complex matter, and one that has laws in place which have to be followed for it to go smoothly. When someone is filing for divorce, the most important thing to do is to have all the divorce papers in order and decide beforehand about how the assets and debts will be divided, what will the custody and visitation arrangements be and who will provide child support? Since divorce is a legal matter, it is important that everything is done in accordance with the law. A layman will not be well versed with the legal implications of the matter, therefore, most people choose to hire a divorce attorney to handle all the paperwork for them.

Hiring a lawyer is important in a divorce case as the divorce laws vary from state to state. A lawyer will be well versed with the divorce laws of the region and will also know about the specific laws concerning child custody and related aspects. A divorce lawyer will also help you cover all your bases before you file for divorce and even after your divorce. Hiring a lawyer becomes even more important when you have acquired property and debts during your marriage. Usually, couples who have been married for a while fall in this category. Couples who have children will also require a lawyer to handle matters like alimony, child support and visitation.

Whether your divorce case seems like a simple one or a complicated one, you should have the following documents ready:

• Marriage license
• Property deeds and titles
• Vehicle details and titles
• Birth certificates of children (if any)
• Bank Account details
• Details for any loans and credit accounts
• Details for any pension and retirement accounts
• Your tax records for last year
• Insurance Papers
• Mortgage and loan details

Apart from these documents, the divorce papers should also include the grounds for divorce, custody arrangements for children, both physical and legal, detail for visiting schedules, child support calculations, detail for relocation provisions, division of property and assets and division of debts, loans, mortgages, savings and other financial or investment accounts. The couple must also provide details for any checking, savings and financial investments. If you have children, you must provide details of who will be responsible for the child’s health coverage, and which parent will claim the children as tax dependants.

Couples also have the option of filling their divorce papers and filing them at the courthouse themselves. However, in such a case, you must take your time to fill out the divorce documents as you are legally bound to anything you write down and submit in court.