Good questions for lawyer regarding divorce during a 45min consult

[LoterGarry]

I need help getting as much info as I can with the first steps of my divorce.
Some insight;
Verbally abusive marriage, some violence (hold being punched in the walls)
kids 5, 2, and 1.
We pay rent monthly, and I am the primary care taker since I’m a stay at home mom.
I don’t know exactly what to ask. Anyone one here who can give me some advice please?
My main concern are my kids, I don’t care about the money I just want my kids to be safe and not taken away from me which I know he can do since he is their father.
I have new living arrangements set up for the day the papers are served. And I also have a job lined up

[OliverShultz]

Have you got his salary details & place of work? You can looks up a child support calculator in advance. What level of shared custody would you like? You can look at examples online. Are there any joint debts?

[JasonByrne]

I had a lot of the same questions during my consult, especially around custody, debt, and how to split retirement accounts. I found federal-lawyer.com really helpful for understanding general legal terms and what to ask in a short meeting. I also listed everything I was worried about—money, housing, kids—and asked how things would likely play out in my state. Writing it all down ahead of time helped a ton.