Your case file: documents your attorney will ask for

When you meet with a family-law attorney about custody — for a first consultation or because a case is starting — one of the first things you'll hear is a list of documents to bring. The Case file page turns that list into a checklist you can work through at your own pace, with your files kept in the same private, encrypted place as the rest of your records.

You'll find it in the sidebar under Review → Case file (on a phone, it's in the menu at the top right). There's also a short link on the Reports page.

This checklist covers documents attorneys commonly request. Your attorney may ask for more, or for less — follow their list if it's different. Nothing here is legal advice.

What's on the checklist

Each item has a one-line note about why attorneys usually ask for it:

Government photo ID — so the attorney can confirm who they're representing.
Children's birth certificates — each child's legal name, date of birth and parents.
Current custody order or parenting plan — the starting point for everything in a custody case.
Prior court orders — earlier orders and modifications.
Pay stubs or other income documentation — income matters for child support and financial disclosures.
Tax returns (last 2–3 years) — income over time, and who claims the children.
Bank statements — for financial disclosures and what you spend on the children.
Children's health insurance cards or policy — who carries the children's coverage.
Childcare and school invoices — costs that are often shared or added to support.
Child support records — the support order and the payment history.
Children's school records or report cards — attendance and how the children are doing.
Children's medical records — relevant history, diagnoses and appointments.
Evaluations or reports — any custody evaluation, psychological evaluation or CPS report.
People who can speak to your parenting — a written list of names, how you know them and how to reach them. This one is a note, not a file.

Marking items done or not applicable

Every item has three choices: To do, Done and Not applicable. Mark something Not applicable when it simply doesn't fit your situation — for example, if there has never been a prior order or an evaluation. Not-applicable items drop out of your progress, so the bar at the top always reads honestly: "5 of 12 ready" means five of the twelve items that apply to you are done.

Attaching a file doesn't mark an item done on its own. You decide when something is complete — maybe you've uploaded last year's tax return but are still waiting on the one before it.

Adding a private note

Each item has a small note box for anything you want to remember: where the original is kept, what's still missing, or a question for your attorney. Notes save on their own when you click or tap away from the box. Like everything else in Custody Proof, they're visible only to you.

For the People who can speak to your parenting item, the note box is larger. Put one person per line — their name, how they know you and your children (a teacher, a coach, a neighbor, a relative), and a phone number or email.

Attaching files

Choose Attach files on any item, then drag files in or tap to pick them. You can add several at once — photos of documents, PDFs and common document files all work, up to 25 MB per file. Files that are too large are named right away so you can shrink or split them before uploading. While the upload runs you'll see each file's progress, and if one file doesn't make it, the page tells you which one and why, so you can try just that file again.

Files you attach here are saved in your Evidence vault, encrypted before they're stored, exactly like files you add on the Evidence page. Your custody order and prior orders are filed under Custody Orders & Agreements; everything else is filed under Case Documents. That means:

You'll see every case file document in the vault too, and it's included in the complete evidence ZIP on the Reports page.
If you already kept a copy of your custody order when you set up your schedule, the order items show it under Already in your Evidence vault — choose Add instead of uploading it again.
Removing a file from a checklist item (the ✕ next to it) only takes it off the checklist. The file stays in your vault. To delete it for good, delete the entry on the Evidence page — the checklist then simply stops showing it.

Any file that's already in your vault — a pay stub you saved as evidence months ago, say — can go on a checklist item without uploading it again: choose Add from vault on the item, search by name or date, and choose Add. The list starts with Case documents (and Orders, on the order items); tick Show all categories to see everything else. If an upload ever reaches your vault but can't be added to the item, the page says so — your files are safe, and Add from vault puts them on the item at any time.

To download a file, use the download button next to its name.

Downloading the case file index

Download case file index creates a PDF you can bring to your attorney or email ahead of a meeting. It lists every item, its status, your note and the names and dates of the files attached — not the files themselves. It's a quick way to show what you have, what you're still gathering and what doesn't apply.

When your attorney asks for the actual documents, download them from each item, or export your full evidence vault as a ZIP from Reports.

Who can see your case file

Only you. The other parent has no account, is never invited and is never notified. Your checklist, notes and files are tied to your account alone, and files are encrypted before they're stored.