By Attorney Charles E. Liken Jr., Colorado court-appointed Child & Family Investigator. A call goes further when you arrive organized. Here is what to gather — and what you can safely skip — before a divorce, custody or support consultation.
Charles E. Liken Jr., Esq. — On the Legal Front Lines · Former Government Investigator, Denver Human Services · Licensed Colorado Attorney ~ 20+ Years in Private Practice · Former Colorado Deputy District Attorney · Colorado Court-Appointed Child and Family Investigator
You do not need all of it, and you can book without any of it. Bring what you have — we will tell you what is missing and what matters first.
Write down what matters most over the next 90 days — a parenting schedule, staying in the home, support, or simply understanding your options — and the dates around it: the date of the marriage, the date you separated, your children’s birth dates, and any hearing or deadline already set.
Where LLF comes in: We start from your goal and the calendar, then work out what needs to happen first.
If you have been served, bring the papers and the date you received them: response deadlines run from service and can be short. Also bring any temporary or protection orders, earlier decrees or parenting plans, and the case number and county. If nothing has been filed yet, say so.
Where LLF comes in: We read what you were handed, note the dates that matter, and tell you what we see.
Recent pay stubs, the last two or three years of tax returns, recent statements for bank, retirement and brokerage accounts, your mortgage statement, a list of debts, and — if you or your spouse owns a business — its recent financial records. A sworn financial statement (JDF 1111) is part of most cases; you do not need to finish it before you call. How disclosure fits the timeline.
Where LLF comes in: Bring what you have; we will point out what is missing and what to gather first.
Names and birth dates, the current schedule (who has the children when), their schools, doctors and activities, and any child-welfare or counseling involvement. A short note on who handles school, medical and daily routines helps. For the road a parenting case follows from filing to final orders, see The Colorado Custody Case Timeline.
Where LLF comes in: We talk through parenting time and decision-making in plain terms before anything is filed.
If there has been abuse, threats, stalking or controlling behavior, say so at the start. Bring any protection orders, report numbers, photographs or messages, and keep them somewhere the other person cannot reach. If you are in danger, call 911; the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233. See Safety & Victim Resources, Protection Orders, the Address Confidentiality Program, and our guide to Colorado’s new law on abuse findings in custody cases.
Where LLF comes in: Tell us at the start, and we plan around safety first.
How the process works in your county, a realistic timeline, how fees work, whether mediation fits your situation, and what to do — and avoid doing — before anything is filed. Write them down; a 20-minute call goes quickly.
Where LLF comes in: You will be talking directly with Attorney Liken, and every question is welcome.
Ready when you are — talk it through with Attorney Liken.
Start here: a no-charge 20-minute phone call directly with Attorney Liken.
No. Bring what you have. A first call is mostly about understanding your situation and your options, and you can book without any documents at all.
Start here: a no-charge 20-minute phone call directly with Attorney Liken.
Consultations are strictly confidential, which is why it helps to be candid from the start about safety concerns, finances and the children.
Bring them and note the date you received them. Response deadlines in a Colorado case run from service and can be short, so do not wait until the checklist is complete.
No. It is general information to help you prepare, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
You do not have to be organized to start. A no-charge 20-minute call is a good way to find out where you stand and what comes first — book a time whenever you are ready.
Twenty minutes with the team now beats twenty billable hours untangling it later.
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