How to prepare for a meeting with a family duty counsel lawyer

To make sure you and the family duty counsel (FDC) work together in the best possible way, consider the following tips.

Note: FDC will need information about you and your situation in order to give you legal advice.

If you're going to meet with FDC, bring with you:

• your telephone number(s) and other contact information, so the FDC can reach you if he or she needs to give you any follow-up information;
• all documents you have that relate to your case, such as your separation agreement, any court order that exists, or any new application;
• a list of questions, extra paper, and a pen so that you can write down the answers to any questions that you have (you may receive an "Advice Given" form that describes the advice the FDC gives you, but you might also want to take your own notes);
  • a summary (typed if possible) of your story, including important dates; and
  • some idea of what you want to have happen.

Take all the documents you think may help. FDC will need to know about your situation in order to advise you about your options. In addition to the above list, here is some other information you could gather documents about or write down for your meeting:

• picture identification with your full name and address (tell FDC if you don't want this information given to anyone else)
• full names and birth dates of all your children
• medical problems you or your children have and information about any medication you or your children have been prescribed
• the full name and current address, if you know it, of the other party (this could be your spouse, ex-spouse, ex-partner, or child's other parent)
• the date you started living together and/or got married, and when you separated
• information about where you and the other party work
• your marriage certificate
• if property or support are issues:
  • information about your income and everything you know about the other party's income
  • your tax returns or summaries for the past three years
  • copies of the other party's tax returns for the past three years
  • a list of everything that you and the other party own together or separately, including property, pension plans, RRSPs, or bank accounts (it doesn’t matter if things are in the other party's name only)
  • property tax assessments
  • your three most recent pay stubs
  • copies of the other party's pay stubs, if available
  • a list of debts that either or both of you have
• your citizenship or immigration documents (if you were sponsored by the other party)
• if the police have been involved with your family, the business cards of the police officers you dealt with
• a list of incidents in your relationship that explain any need for a protection or custody order (for example, incidents of physical or mental abuse)

Write out questions before the meeting so that you won't forget anything.