TRIAL READY: Family Court Prep Workbook

Hello, friend,

Your custody case may contain months—or years—of events, messages, child changes, missed parenting time, records, allegations and emotional upheaval.

Then trial approaches, and suddenly you're expected to explain it all clearly.

Where do you even begin?

'TRIAL READY' is a comprehensive, editable, mental-health-informed Family Court Preparation Workbook designed to help parents turn an overwhelming history into a more organized, factual picture they can review with their attorney.

Created by Margaret M. FitzGerald, L.C.S.W., a licensed mental-health professional in private practice, author and educator specializing in abuse dynamics, coercive control, narcissistic processes and the psychological dynamics of family court.

Inside 'TRIAL READY', you'll work through:

✓ Your Case in One Page — identify the major issues and questions you need to discuss with your attorney.

✓ Your Child's Baseline — document your child's attitudes, behaviors, relationships and functioning before significant changes occurred.

✓ Core Timeline — organize important events chronologically.

✓ Pattern Identification — move beyond isolated incidents to examine repetition, escalation, context and impact.

✓ Expected vs. Actual — compare what was expected to occur with what actually happened.

✓ Evidence Inventory — organize messages, records, orders, calendars and other documentation for attorney review.

✓ Witness Organizer — identify who personally observed relevant events and what records may exist.

✓ Facts vs. Conclusions — learn to describe observable behavior rather than relying on labels or diagnoses.

✓ The Questions I Don't Want to Be Asked — identify difficult facts, incomplete documentation and emotionally charged issues before trial.

✓ Emotional Trigger Plan — recognize how trauma activation can affect communication and prepare to stay grounded.

✓ Listen → Pause → Answer → Stop — practice concise, factual communication.

✓ Attorney Trial-Prep Checklist — organize the questions you need answered before trial.

✓ 72 Hours Before Trial — prepare your documents, logistics and emotional support.

✓ Trial-Morning Grounding Sheet — a simple plan to help you slow down, listen and remain focused.

The Mental-Health Lens Matters

When coercive control, abuse dynamics or narcissistic processes may be present, individual incidents can look disconnected.

'TRIAL READY' teaches you to look at:

Behavior → Context → Chronology → Pattern → Child/Family Impact → Documentation

without trying to diagnose the other parent or make legal conclusions yourself.

One of the most important principles you'll learn is:

Don't start with the diagnosis. Start with the behavior.

What happened?
What changed?
When did it change?
What was your child's baseline?
What records support the chronology?

Then bring that organized information to the professionals responsible for evaluating it.

This Is NOT a Legal Strategy Guide

TRIAL READY™ does not teach you how to litigate your custody case.

Your attorney handles legal strategy.

This workbook helps you become a more organized, informed and emotionally prepared parent who can work more effectively with your attorney.

Your Purchase

$297 • Instant Download • Editable Word Workbook

Download it. Type directly into it. Save it. Bring your organized questions and information to your attorney.

You don't need to carry your entire custody case around in your head.

Get organized. Understand the patterns. Prepare with clarity.

GET 'TRIAL READY' — $297

All 4 the Kids,
Margie
Margaret M. FitzGerald, L.C.S.W.
The Maverik Therapist
Founder-"Parenting Through Family Court'

Educational and organizational resource. Not legal advice, legal representation, custody evaluation, diagnosis, psychotherapy or mental-health treatment. Legal strategy, evidence and court procedure should be discussed with your attorney.