Whether you’re hiring a lawyer for the first time, bringing one in for a single hearing, or switching lawyers mid-case, knowing how to prepare a case file for your attorney can save real money and a lot of repeated explaining. A lawyer who receives a clean, organized file can start on legal work right away. A lawyer who receives a grocery bag of printouts has to sort it first, and in most hourly arrangements that sorting is billed.
This guide walks through an attorney handoff packet for custody: what goes in it, how to fill in each section, what a finished one looks like, and how to send it. Download our free checklist below and work through it one section at a time. You don’t have to finish it in one sitting.
What is an attorney handoff packet, and when do you need one?
An attorney handoff packet is an organized summary of your case, plus the key documents behind it, built so a lawyer can get up to speed quickly. It’s useful any time a new legal professional steps into your case.
- Hiring a lawyer for full representation, especially after handling the case on your own for a while.
- Limited-scope help, where a lawyer reviews a document, coaches you or covers one hearing. See how limited-scope representation works.
- Switching lawyers, so the new office isn’t waiting on the old one to start.
- Legal aid intake or an advocate, who may have limited time per client.
- A first consultation, in a shorter version (see the FAQ below).
If you’ve been representing yourself, the packet matters even more. You know the history better than anyone, but a new lawyer is starting from zero, often with a hearing date already on the calendar. A clear packet lets them spend their first hours on strategy for that date.
Before you build anything, ask the lawyer or their office how they like to receive materials: paper, PDFs, or through the firm’s own secure portal. Building it their way from the start saves reformatting time later.
What goes in a custody case file for your attorney?
Eight sections cover what most family lawyers need first. The checklist below lists each one, with space to tick off what you’ve gathered.
- One-page case summary
- People and contacts
- Court papers and orders
- Deadlines and upcoming dates
- Master timeline
- Evidence index
- Issue summaries, one page per issue
- Your questions and goals
Depending on your case, you may add financial documents (if support is involved), an export of your messages with the other parent, and a witness list.
How to prepare a case file for your attorney, section by section
Keep every section factual, dated and short. Your lawyer can always ask for more; it’s much harder to dig the important fact out of too much.
1. One-page case summary
The court and case number, the judge if you know it, the stage of the case, the next court date, your children’s first names and ages, the current schedule, what you’re hoping for, and why you’re hiring help now.
2. People and contacts
You, the other parent and their lawyer if they have one; your children’s school and doctors; any guardian ad litem, evaluator, mediator or counselor; and possible witnesses, with one line on what each person saw firsthand.
3. Court papers and orders
Every filing and order, file-stamped copies where possible, in date order. Flag anything you were served with but haven’t responded to; that’s often the most urgent item in the whole packet.
4. Deadlines and upcoming dates
One line each, with its source: “Parenting class certificate due Nov. 1 (order of Sept. 3).” Include hearings, mediation dates, discovery deadlines and anything you were told verbally in court.
5. Master timeline
One row per event: date, what happened, who was involved, the evidence that proves it, the issue it relates to, and notes. Our custody timeline template explains each column.
6. Evidence index
Number every item and give it one line: description, date of the item, where it came from, the issue it supports, and who could confirm it’s genuine. The evidence index template has the columns set up.
7. Issue summaries
One page per concern, such as exchanges, school or medical care: what happened, how it affects your child, which evidence numbers support it, and what the other parent says about it. Including their side honestly helps your lawyer prepare.
8. Questions and goals
Your top five questions, ranked. Then what you’re hoping for, what you could live with, and your budget. Lawyers can plan better when they know your limits up front.
What does a finished packet look like?
Here’s a sample one-page summary for a fictional parent. Yours will differ, but notice how much a lawyer learns at a glance.
Example: one-page case summary
Case: [County] Family Court, Case No. [number]. Judge [name]. Temporary orders in place since March 2026; mediation ordered. Next date: status hearing, November 18, 2026.
Children: Ava, 7 (second grade, reading support plan); Leo, 4 (preschool).
Current schedule: With me Monday to Friday; with their father alternate weekends, Friday 6 p.m. to Sunday 6 p.m. Exchanges at a gas station near the halfway point.
What I’m hoping for: Keep the weekday schedule; move exchanges to school pickup; a clear plan for Ava’s reading support.
Main issues: (1) Late or missed weekend exchanges, 11 times since March (Evidence 3 to 13). (2) Disagreement about Ava’s reading support (Evidence 15 to 18). I was late twice myself (noted in the timeline).
Top questions: 1. Should exchanges be addressed before mediation? 2. What should I bring to mediation? 3. What would limited-scope help for the November hearing cost?
Behind that page sit the contact list, the orders, the timeline, the evidence index and two issue summaries. Your lawyer reads the summary first and dips into the rest as needed.
How should you send the file to your lawyer?
Send it the way your lawyer asks, as organized copies, from an account only you can access. A few habits make the packet easier to use and safer to send.
- Send copies and keep the originals, including the original phone or account data behind any screenshots or exports.
- Name files so they sort by date: 2026-03-14 exchange text.pdf.
- Combine each section into one PDF, or include an index page, rather than sending fifty separate attachments.
- Use a private email account or the firm’s portal. Sending from a work account or a shared family device can let other people see your messages.
- Never edit evidence. If something needs redacting, keep the unredacted original too, and tell your lawyer what you changed.
- End with a short “What I don’t have yet” list, such as records you’ve requested but haven’t received.
How Case Builder builds the packet for you
Doing this by hand in Word and a spreadsheet takes evenings, and the packet goes stale the moment something new happens: every new incident means another timeline row, another index line and an updated summary. That upkeep is exactly the work our guide to saving money on a custody lawyer recommends you take off your lawyer’s clock.
Case Builder generates the attorney handoff packet, with the Evidence Index, the Timeline and per-issue summaries, in one click from the evidence, messages and hearings you’ve already added. The timeline links every entry to its proof, and issue workspaces keep the evidence for each point on its own page. When you’re ready, invite your attorney to the case by name with the permissions you choose; nothing is shared through public links, as the sharing guide explains. Every account starts with a 14-day free trial of everything, no credit card required.
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