Perhaps the most important document to be prepared after filing for divorce or filing an Answer to the Complaint for Divorce, is the filing of the required Case Information Statement (the “CIS”).  The New Jersey Rules of Court require the CIS to be submitted when attending the first Case Management Conference.  The CIS addresses, among other things:  the marital history, the date of the marriage, the children’s names, ages and where they reside, the lifestyle and monthly expenses during the marriage, and the assets and liabilities of the marriage.  The CIS has seven (7) sections.  You will need to prepare the CIS for your attorney to review prior to filing.  Part C (the “Income Information”) is where the parties disclose the last year and the current year’s earned and unearned income, Part D (“Monthly Expenses”), where you identify by category and amounts, the monthly expenses while you were living with your spouse as well as your current expenses.  You will often benefit by reviewing your credit cards and checks to help determine the monthly expenses, and Part E is the “Balance Sheet of All Family Assets and Liabilities”.

Mr. Puglisi advises to garner all this information for your meeting with your attorney.  The CIS is needed whenever financial relief is sought from the Court.  Mr. Puglisi cannot stress the importance of the CIS.  The Judge has no knowledge or history of the parties’ financials, and the CIS provides a good overview of the information needed.

Philip C. Puglisi, Esq., has been practicing family law for just under 40 years.  He is extremely competent, diligent, and experienced handling an extensive variety of family law matters from the simple to the complex.  He encourages you to call the the Law Offices of Philip C. Puglisi, LLC at 201-431-8400 for a free consultation.