At Eatmon Law Firm, PC, we understand that making the decision to seek legal help for a family matter can feel overwhelming. Whether you’re considering divorce, need help with child custody arrangements, or want to create a prenuptial agreement, taking that first step to schedule a consultation often brings a mix of relief and anxiety.
We want to help you understand what to expect during your initial meeting with our family law attorneys so you can feel more at ease and get the most value from this important conversation.
How We Recommend Preparing for Your Consultation
Gather Your Important Documents
We encourage you to collect any relevant paperwork that relates to your situation before your appointment. Key documents to gather include:
- Any documents (pleadings or correspondence) received via certified mail or sheriff
- Financial records such as tax returns, pay stubs, and bank statements
- Detailed list of assets and debts, including real estate and investment accounts
- Any existing court orders
- Correspondence from your spouse’s attorney
Don’t worry if you don’t have everything – we can help you identify what additional documents you’ll need as your case progresses.
Write Down Your Questions and Concerns
We know that family law matters often involve complex emotions and multiple issues. Before your consultation, we recommend taking time to write down your primary concerns and questions. This helps ensure you don’t forget important topics during our meeting. Important questions to consider include:
- What are my rights regarding child custody?
- How is property divided in North Carolina?
- What timeline can I expect for my case?
- What are the potential costs involved?
- What options do I have for resolving this matter?
Prepare Your Timeline
We find it extremely helpful when clients provide a clear chronology of events related to their situation. We suggest jotting down key dates and events, such as your date of marriage and separation if applicable, when problems began or significant incidents occurred, previous attempts at resolution or mediation, and any pending court dates or deadlines.
What Happens During Our Consultation
How We Begin: Initial Discussion of Your Situation
We start by asking you to explain your circumstances in your own words. This is your opportunity to share what’s happening in your life and what outcome you’re hoping to achieve. Don’t worry about presenting everything perfectly – we’re here to listen and help you organize your thoughts.
We understand that these situations are deeply personal and often emotionally charged. We want you to feel comfortable sharing sensitive information with us, as everything you discuss is protected by attorney-client privilege. We need to understand not just the legal facts, but also the emotional and practical realities you’re facing.
Our Legal Analysis and Options Review
After understanding your situation, we explain how North Carolina law applies to your circumstances. This conversation covers your rights and obligations under state law, different approaches for resolving your matter such as litigation, negotiation, or mediation, and potential outcomes based on case law and similar cases we’ve handled. We also discuss any specific considerations for your county, whether that’s Wake, Durham, Franklin, or Granville.
We make it a priority to explain legal concepts in terms you can understand, avoiding excessive legal jargon while ensuring you grasp the important details. We encourage you to ask for clarification if something isn’t clear – we want you to fully understand your situation and options.
How We Discuss Strategy and Next Steps
Based on your goals, we outline potential strategies for moving forward. This conversation addresses immediate actions that need to be taken, documents that need to be prepared or obtained, and a realistic timeline for various steps in the process. We also discuss how different approaches might affect the outcome and what your role will be throughout the process.
This is also when we might explain the benefits of different resolution methods. For instance, we often find that mediation can be less costly and less adversarial than litigation, while still protecting your interests. Our Fee Structure and Cost Discussion
We believe in transparency about our fees, so we’ll provide a clear explanation of how we charge for our services. Key financial topics we cover include:
- Hourly rates
- Retainer requirements and how they work
- Estimated costs for your type of case
- Additional expenses you might incur such as court fees or expert witnesses
- Our billing practices and available payment options
We encourage you to ask for clarification about fees – we want you to understand the financial commitment upfront so you can make informed decisions about how to proceed.
Important Questions We’re Happy to Answer
During our consultation, we want you to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your position based on what you’ve shared. We’re happy to discuss the different ways you could approach resolving your matter and what we would recommend as the best strategy for your specific situation. We’ll also give you a realistic sense of how long cases like yours typically take to resolve.
Regarding the process itself, we’ll explain what information or documents we’ll need from you and how often we’ll communicate. We’ll tell you about what court will handle your case and what to expect there, as well as any important deadlines you need to be aware of.
We’re also happy to discuss our experience with cases like yours. Christine Eatmon is a North Carolina Board Certified Family Law Specialist. Both Christine Eatmon and Tamara Brooks have extensive family law experience. We’ll explain whether we will personally handle your case or if other attorneys or staff will be involved.
What We Do After the Consultation
Giving You Time to Make Your Decision
We understand that you’re not obligated to hire us after our consultation, and we respect that you may want to meet with multiple lawyers before making your decision. We encourage you to take time to consider whether you felt comfortable with our communication style, whether you understand and feel confident in our proposed strategy, if our fees are within your budget, and our relevant experience with your type of case.
How We Get Started
If you decide to move forward with our firm, we’ll send you a fee agreement that outlines the terms of our representation. This document clearly explains the scope of our representation, our fee structure and payment terms, your responsibilities as our client, and how our attorney-client relationship can be terminated if necessary.
Our Next Steps
Once you’ve retained our services, we’ll provide you with a list of immediate action items. These might include gathering additional documents, making financial arrangements such as opening separate bank accounts if we recommend it, completing required forms like financial disclosure documents, and scheduling follow-up appointments to keep your case moving forward.
How to Make the Most of Our Consultation
We Encourage Honesty and Completeness
We ask that you provide accurate, complete information even if it’s embarrassing or you think it might hurt your case. We need all the facts to provide proper advice and avoid surprises later. Remember that attorney-client privilege protects our communications, so you can speak freely about your situation with us.
We Help You Stay Focused on Your Goals
While it’s natural to want to share your frustrations, we find it helpful when clients focus on their desired outcomes rather than just venting about their spouse or situation. This helps us provide more targeted advice and develop a strategy that aligns with what you want to achieve.
We Recommend Taking Notes and Asking Questions
We suggest bringing a notebook. You’ll be processing a lot of new information, and having notes to refer to later can be valuable. If you don’t understand something, we encourage you to ask questions immediately rather than leaving confused.
Move Forward with Confidence At Eatmon Law Firm, PC
We view your first family law consultation as an important step toward resolving your legal matter and moving forward with your life. By helping you come prepared and knowing what to expect, we want you to make the most of our meeting and feel more confident about the path ahead.
At Eatmon Law Firm, PC, we understand that family legal matters represent some of life’s most challenging transitions. Our goal is to provide you with clear, honest guidance while treating you and your family with the compassion and respect you deserve. If you’re facing a family law issue in Wake Forest or the surrounding Wake, Durham, Franklin, or Granville County areas, we’re here to help you understand your options and navigate this difficult time.
