That big moment is coming. Your wedding day. How exciting! In the hubbub of activities surrounding the wedding itself, the issues relating to marriage in general can get lost in the shuffle.

Marriage presents a variety of legal issues, some of which are best planned for in advance, while others should be dealt with shortly after the ceremony. It is therefore often advisable that you consult with an experienced family law attorney to help you through the process and ensure an outcome that meets your needs not only now, but also in the future.

In order to do the best possible job on your behalf, your family law attorney needs your input and cooperation. If you decide that you do want to speak with an attorney, at your first meeting you should be prepared to provide the following information:

 

 

Intake Form:  For Marriage

 

                    INFORMATION ABOUT YOU                  INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR SPOUSE

 

Name_______________________________   ________________________________

 

Date of Birth

____________________________________   ________________________________

 

Sex   M_____  F_____                                               M_____  F_____

 

Social Security Number__________________          ____________________

 

Address, Including County (if any of the following information is the same for both of you, fill in only the left-hand column)

______________________________            ______________________________

______________________________            ______________________________

______________________________            ______________________________

______________________________            ______________________________

 

Length of Time at that Address  _______ years        _______ years

 

Previous Address(es) (for last 10 years)

______________________________            ______________________________

______________________________            ______________________________

______________________________            ______________________________

______________________________            ______________________________

 

Home Telephone Number  __________________     ____________________

 

Work Telephone Number  __________________      ____________________

 

Facsimile Number             __________________      ____________________

 

E-mail Address               __________________        ____________________

 

Former Name(s)             __________________         __________________

                                            __________________         __________________

 

Employer                     ______________________    _________________________

 

Position                      ______________________    __________________________

 

Employer's Address

 _____________________________   _________________________________

 _____________________________   _________________________________

 _____________________________   _________________________________

 

Length of Time with Employer  _______ years         _______ years

 

Previous Employer(s) (for last 10 years)

 _____________________________     _________________________________

 _____________________________     _________________________________

 _____________________________     _________________________________

 _____________________________     _________________________________

 _____________________________     _________________________________

 _____________________________     _________________________________

 _____________________________     _________________________________

 _____________________________     _________________________________

 _____________________________    _________________________________

 

Gross Monthly Income  $_________________         $_________________

 

Other Income

 

Source/Amount  ________________________          _________________________

 

Source/Amount    ________________________        _________________________

 

Source/Amount    ________________________        _________________________

 

Date of Marriage  _________________________________

 

Place of Marriage  ________________________________

 

Previous Marriage(s)  Yes  ____   No  ____               Yes  ____  No  ____

 

Ended by:                                                        Ended by:

 

Death  ____  Divorce  ____  Date  ____        Death  ____  Divorce  ____  Date  ____

 

Death  ____  Divorce  ____  Date  ____        Death  ____  Divorce  ____  Date  ____

 

Children of Current Relationship 

Name                           Date of Birth   Social Security Number          

_______________      _________      _____________________     

_______________      _________      _____________________     

_______________      _________      _____________________     

_______________      _________      _____________________     

_______________      _________      _____________________     

 

Children from Other Marriages or Relationships

Name                           Date of Birth   Social Security Number           With Whom Residing

_______________      _________      _____________________      _________________

_______________      _________      _____________________      _________________

_______________      _________      _____________________      _________________

_______________      _________      _____________________      _________________

_______________      _________      _____________________      _________________

 

Legal Concerns (provide detail as applicable)

Premarital Agreement  ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

 

Estate Planning  ______________________________________
___________________________________________________

 

Financial Planning  ____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

 

Health Care Directives  ____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

 

Paternity  _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

 

Custody  _______________________________________________

______________________________________________________

 

Child Support  ___________________________________________

______________________________________________________

 

Property Ownership  ______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

 

Other  _________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

 

Special Concerns

Physical or Mental Health of Self____________________________________________ _______________________________________________________

 

Physical or Mental Health of Spouse__________________________________________  _______________________________________________________

 

Physical or Mental Health of Children________________________________________  ________________________________________________________

 

Domestic Abuse or Violence_________________________________________________  ________________________________________________________

 

Child Abuse______________________________________________

 

Custody or Visitation Issues_________________________________________________  ________________________________________________________

 

Financial Issues___________________________________________________

 

Property Disputes_________________________________________________________  ________________________________________________________________

 

Other Important Information 

________________________________________________________________

Hiring a Family Law Attorney

Marriage laws are constantly changing. If you are tying the knot and have questions, you may need to consult an experienced family law attorney. A skilled lawyer who specializes in handling marriage and family matters can help you ensure that your legal rights are protected. Plus, it's important to speak to a lawyer familiar with the laws in your jurisdiction. Most offer free consultations, so your first step should be to contact an experienced family law attorney.