How-to guide
How to prepare for a hearing or attorney review
Pull together the facts, patterns, and supporting files that matter.
Before a hearing or attorney review, do not hand over everything in random order. Use your journal to identify the timeline, the patterns you can support, the related screenshots or documents, and the entries tied to the exact issue being discussed.
Start by narrowing the date range and issue. Then review the entries in that window and look for the strongest factual examples. Prioritize records that include dates, supporting files, child impact, schedule impact, or communication that explains what happened.
Use Reports or Evidence Timeline to create a cleaner package. If your attorney only needs one issue, keep the export focused on that issue instead of sending a massive bundle. If they need broader context, include the relevant journal entries, calendar items, expenses, communications, and document index.
Your goal is not to prove you are the most upset. Your goal is to make the facts easy to follow so your attorney can spend less time untangling the timeline and more time giving useful guidance.
Key points
- Organized and relevant beats massive and emotional.
- Review exports before sharing them.
- Ask your attorney what date range and issue they want covered.