How to Prepare for a Divorce Consultation in the 14th Judicial Circuit
By Justin Andersson, Esq. | Justin Andersson, P.A., Panama City
For anyone in Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson or Washington County thinking about divorce
So you’ve decided to talk to a divorce lawyer. That’s a big step, and honestly, it’s often the hardest one.
A consultation usually runs an hour or less. What you get out of that hour depends a lot on what you bring into it. When the basic facts and documents are already on the table, the time goes to what you actually came for: your options, your risks and your next steps.
You don’t need to have everything. You don’t need to know the law. That’s my job. But a little preparation goes a long way. Here’s how to walk in ready.
Step 1: Protect your privacy before you do anything else
Before you call, email or start gathering paperwork, think about who can see what you’re doing.
- Use a phone, email account and computer your spouse can't get into. Shared family computers, shared cloud accounts, synced tablets and shared email are how a lot of spouses find out about a consultation before you're ready.
- Don't snoop. Logging into your spouse's email, phone or accounts without permission can create legal problems for you and hurt your case.
- Don't secretly record conversations. Florida law generally requires the consent of everyone in a private conversation before it's recorded. A secret recording can be a crime, and it's often inadmissible anyway.
- Keep what you already have. Don't delete texts, emails or social media posts. Save them. Deleting evidence can cause far bigger problems than whatever the messages say.
Step 2: When you call, expect a few basic questions
When you call to schedule, we’ll ask for your name, your spouse’s full name and the basics of your situation. Your spouse’s name is needed for a conflict check, which we complete before any consultation to make sure the firm hasn’t already spoken with or represented your spouse.
Tell us right away if:
- You've already been served with divorce papers. The responding spouse generally has 20 days after service to file a response, and that clock is already ticking.
- A hearing or mediation is already on the calendar.
- There's a safety concern. Domestic violence changes how a case is handled, including whether mediation is appropriate.
- There's a deadline in your life: a deployment, PCS orders, a home sale or closing, a lease ending or a planned move.
Our office is in Panama City, but you don’t have to make the drive. If you’re in Marianna, Chipley, Bonifay, Blountstown, Port St. Joe or anywhere in between, we can meet by video.
Step 3: Write a one-page timeline
A short, factual timeline saves a surprising amount of time. Include:
- The date and place of your marriage
- When each of you moved to Florida (one spouse must have lived in Florida for at least six months before a divorce can be filed)
- The date you separated, if you have
- Your children's names and dates of birth
- Which county you've lived in, and where the two of you last lived together
- Any prior marriages, and any prior court cases between the two of you, such as an injunction, a paternity case or a child support case through the Department of Revenue (our circuit requires related family cases to be disclosed)
- Major events: job changes, a home purchase, an inheritance, a business started, a move
Keep it to facts and dates. You’ll get to tell the whole story in the consultation.
Step 4: Gather the documents that matter most
In most Florida divorces, both spouses must exchange a standard set of financial documents within 45 days after the petition is served. This list is built around that requirement, so anything you gather now is work you won’t have to do twice. Bring what you can easily get. If you can’t get something, that’s useful information too.
Income
- Federal tax returns for the last three years, with W-2s, 1099s and any K-1s
- Recent pay stubs (ideally six months), a military Leave and Earnings Statement, or proof of other income such as VA benefits, disability, Social Security or rental income
Accounts and assets
- Recent statements for checking, savings and brokerage accounts
- Statements for retirement accounts and pensions: 401(k), IRA, Thrift Savings Plan, military retirement
- Any cryptocurrency or other digital asset accounts
- Your deed and latest mortgage statement, and vehicle titles or loan statements
- Information about any business either of you owns
Debts
- Recent credit card statements, personal loans, student loans and any other debts
Insurance
- Life insurance information, and current health and dental insurance cards for you and your children
Agreements and court papers
- Any prenuptial or postnuptial agreement
- Anything you've been served with or filed: a summons, petition, the 14th Circuit's Standing Family Law Pre-Trial Court Order, an injunction, or a prior court order about support or the children
Property you believe is yours alone
- Documents showing what you owned before the marriage, and any inheritance or gift you received individually. That property may be nonmarital, but proving it usually takes paper.
If you have children
- The current schedule: who has the kids when, who handles drop-offs and pickups, doctor visits and activities
- School and childcare information
- Any written communications with the other parent you think matter, kept in order
Don’t take or copy documents in a way that breaks the law or invades someone else’s privacy. If a document is only available through your spouse’s private account, tell us, and we’ll talk about how to get it the right way.
Step 5: Know your goals, and your fears
Before the consultation, jot down:
- Your top three goals. Keeping the kids' routine steady, staying in the house, protecting a retirement account, or simply getting through this quickly and fairly.
- What scares you most. Losing time with your kids, paying or not receiving support, debt, your spouse's behavior, or the cost of the case.
- Where you'd be willing to compromise. Many cases settle, and knowing your priorities is what makes a settlement possible.
It also helps to separate what you’d ideally like from what you could live with. That difference is the foundation of a realistic game plan.
Step 6: Bring your questions
Write them down. Consultations move quickly, and emotions can make it hard to remember everything. Some good ones:
About the process
- Do I meet Florida's residency requirement?
- Which county will my case be filed in?
- Is my case likely to be uncontested or contested, and why?
- What happens in the first 60 days after filing?
- Does our circuit's standing order affect anything I'm planning to do?
About the kids and the money
- How would Florida's equal time-sharing presumption apply to my family?
- Roughly how would child support be calculated in my situation?
- Is alimony realistically on the table, and in what form?
- Which of our assets and debts are likely marital, and which may be nonmarital?
About the representation
- What would you do first?
- What will it cost, and what does the fee include?
- Who will I communicate with, and how?
- What should I do, and not do, before the next step?
Step 7: Tell the whole truth
A consultation is confidential, and it only works if it’s honest. If there are facts you’re embarrassed about (an affair, a debt your spouse doesn’t know about, a DUI, ugly text messages, a past injunction, money you moved), say so. I can’t help you with what you hide. A problem I learn about on day one is a problem we can plan around. A problem that surfaces at a deposition or at trial is much harder to manage.
What NOT to do before you meet with a lawyer
Some of the most expensive mistakes in divorce happen before anyone files a thing. Avoid these:
- Don't move away with the children or change their school without advice. Once a case is filed in our circuit, the standing order prohibits it without the other parent's written agreement or a court order. It binds the parent who files right away and the other parent once he or she is served. Once a time-sharing order exists or a case is pending, Florida's relocation law governs moves of 50 miles or more that last at least 60 consecutive days. Even before then, an abrupt move can weigh against you when a judge later looks at the children's stability and each parent's support for the other parent's relationship with them.
- Don't drain accounts or move money. When dividing property, a judge can consider the intentional dissipation, waste, depletion or destruction of marital assets, including in the two years before filing.
- Don't run up debt or cancel insurance. (Yes, even if a new Harley would really cheer you up.)
- Don't post about your spouse, your case or your new relationship on social media. Screenshots live forever.
- Don't sign anything your spouse or your spouse's lawyer hands you before you've had it reviewed.
- Don't ignore papers you've been served with. Deadlines run whether you respond or not.
If you're worried about your safety
If you’re in immediate danger, call 911. The Florida Domestic Violence Hotline is available at 1-800-500-1119. A protective injunction is a separate court process from a divorce, and it can be filed at any time. When you schedule your consultation, tell us about any safety concerns so we can plan around them, including the safest way to reach you.
What happens after the consultation
You should leave knowing your options, the likely road your case will take, the main risks and your next steps. If you decide to hire the firm, you’ll get a written fee agreement that spells out exactly what’s included.
And honestly? I don’t care if you hire me or not. I care that you hire someone who’ll show up for you when it counts.
Consultation checklist
Print this and check off what you have:
TAKE THIS CHECKLIST WITH YOU
PDF, 1 page. Prints on standard letter paper.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, as a general rule. What you tell a lawyer in a consultation to get legal advice is confidential, even if you don't end up hiring that lawyer. To keep it that way, come alone, or tell us beforehand if you'd like someone with you.
No. A lawyer can represent only one spouse in a divorce, even when the two of you agree on everything, so a consultation is with one spouse. Your spouse is free to talk with his or her own lawyer.
I live in Jackson (or Holmes, Washington, Calhoun or Gulf) County. Do I have to come to Panama City?
No. We can meet by video, and much of a family case can be handled remotely. Hearings are usually held at the courthouse in your county or by Zoom, and the notice or order setting each hearing tells you where.
Come anyway. Bring what you have, and we'll tell you what's most important to get next.
Please don't. We'll be talking about adult topics, and you'll want to give it your full attention. If childcare is a problem, ask about a video consultation.
No, but move quickly. Bring the papers you were served with, including the standing order, and tell us the date you were served.
Final Thought
The best time to talk to a divorce lawyer is before you make decisions that are hard to undo. Showing up prepared doesn’t mean showing up with all the answers. It means showing up ready to get them.
You’ve got this. And I’ve got your back.
Justin Andersson, Esq.
Your 850 Divorce Lawyer
Justin Andersson, P.A. | 435 W. Oak Avenue, Panama City, FL 32401
Serving Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson and Washington Counties, in person or by video.
Questions? Call (850) 871-7397 or visit www.850divorcelawyer.com.
This article is provided for general informational and educational purposes about Florida law and 14th Judicial Circuit procedures as of October 2026. It is not legal advice. Contacting the firm or reading this article does not create an attorney-client relationship, and the firm cannot accept a case until a conflict check is completed and a written fee agreement is signed. Please do not send confidential details through the website contact form.
Florida law referenced: Sections 61.021, 61.075 and 61.13001, Florida Statutes; Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure 12.140, 12.285 and 12.740; Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Administrative Order 2022-00-07.