There is no more important facet of divorce litigation than being prepared for a court conference, either to attempt a settlement or to obtain relief such as a court order directing payment of support or matters pertaining to children, such as visitation disputes.
Since the court has a busy schedule and may handle three or four matters in any one morning, it is essential for your lawyer to be prepared with written schedules of financial details so that the judge can at a glance understand the financial issues. Preparing a list of throwbacks (the money paid from a business for personal expenses) based upon canceled checks, credit card statements, or other financial data will improve your chances that your claim will be received favorably and the judge will determine that your credibility is beyond dispute.
If it can be shown that real income is understated by thousands of dollars, your request for a higher amount of support will be normally granted. And remember, arrears after an order is granted will be made retroactive when the final decree is granted.