The Divorce Task No One Warns You About Until You’re Already Overwhelmed

When divorce discovery feels like too much, HAHLAH® helps organize the chaos so you can breathe again.

It's 8:30 at night. Your day started at 5:30 a.m. when your youngest child got up, and you've been going non-stop ever since. You barely got the kids to daycare on time now that the entire morning routine is on you; your boss dropped another last-minute assignment on you at work; and instead of going out with a couple co-workers to relax, you had to rush to pick up the kids at daycare because your almost ex "forgot" again whose turn it was to have the kids.

After scrambling to make dinner, taking care of baths and getting the kids tucked into bed, you decide to check your email thinking maybe there will be some good news there.

Instead, you open a message from your attorney with a letter attached that is asking you to gather and send in a long list of documents that the attorney for your almost ex is asking to review. And your attorney wants all the information in two weeks. Two weeks‼

Why is all this information needed when you and your spouse know the details already? Why should this additional burden be put on you when you've already had so much extra stress put on your plate? How are you supposed to find time for this on top of everything else you are expected to do between raising a family and holding down a job?

This scene is all too common in divorce, and these are the questions everybody in this situation naturally asks.

What You Need to Know About the Request

Here are some important things to keep in mind:

- Attorneys have a duty to protect their clients. That means verifying numbers – assets and debts – through review of documents. There is also a duty to provide that information to the other side. If you don't provide the information voluntarily, the Court will order you to do it, and it will cost you a LOT more money.

- There is no "good" time in divorce for attorneys to ask for documents. Major life transitions are stressful, and receiving the request will likely always be upsetting and inconvenient. The sooner the documents are exchanged, the sooner everyone can move forward to the next step.

- When the request for information comes in the form of a letter, it is usually considered "informal" discovery, which means the due date is somewhat arbitrary, and you can talk with your attorney about what timeline makes the most sense for your set of circumstances. If the document requests are in a formal court document labeled as "Interrogatories" or "Request for Production of Documents", there are likely defined timelines that must be followed to avoid penalties that could negatively affect your case.


How HAHLAH® Lifts the Weight

HAHLAH® lifts the weight of gathering and organizing documents off clients by doing the work for you. By turning the information over to your attorney in an orderly manner, clients can save thousands of dollars in attorneys' fees.


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