Going through a divorce is not an easy journey. One way it is made even more complicated is when children are involved. Most parents naturally want the best for their children but face a conflict when they must give up some of their precious time with their children due to a divorce or a custody proceeding. Consequently, this can be one of the reasons for a custody battle. 

We cannot stress enough that leaning on an experienced divorce attorney when approaching a custody case is one of the most important things that a parent can do along with keeping the children’s best interests in mind. Ensuring one has the right attorney can make a world of difference in the result of their case. In addition to having the right representation, following the below tips can also help:

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Categories: Custody, Divorce

Nearly 50 percent of all marriages in the United States end in divorce or separation. Even if couples are aware of this statistic, many of them still do not think a divorce could happen to them. Whether or not a couple expects to be confronted with a divorce or not, it is wise to think through the “what ifs” of a marriage. What would you do if you were faced with a divorce? What would happen to your finances? Who would get the house? What part of the family business would you receive, if any?

Since many marriages end in divorce, the topic of prenuptial agreements, while not an enjoyable subject to discuss, is an important one that can bring clarity to financial issues should a divorce occur. There are many misconceptions about prenuptial agreements, and to help you make an educated decision on whether a prenup is right for you and your marriage, we listed a few of those myths below:

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Categories: Prenuptial Agreements

When someone approaches divorce, they may immediately picture themselves in a court setting with their divorce attorney by their side, the judge in front of them, expensive fees being taken out of their bank account, and a difficult spouse on the other side of the room. This picture is what we see in movies, and while some aspects of it can occasionally be true in some cases, it is not the norm.

There are options when it comes to the divorce process, and finding which option best suits a divorcing couple greatly depends on the situation, the relationship between the spouses, and what circumstances are at hand. Before deciding on a process, we recommend consulting with an experienced divorce attorney who is well-versed in many different divorce processes so they can give the divorcing individual an expert opinion on which process may work best for the situation. If you find yourself in this situation, we outlined the most popular divorce processes below to help give you an idea of what may work best for you:

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Categories: Collaborative Law, Divorce, Mediation

Divorce can be an emotional challenge for many. The thought of starting a new routine may be difficult to handle as well as thinking about financial burdens that may come out of the divorce process. It is important to stay positive as starting a new chapter in life can be challenging but also rewarding. In addition, we advise anyone going through a divorce to have an experienced divorce attorney on their side because their attorney can navigate the complex divorce process and help to protect their client’s finances.

One financial topic that will need to be covered during a divorce is that of retirement funds. This topic can be of great concern since retirement assets are valuable and important to many. To help you understand what may happen to your retirement funds during a divorce, we outlined a few of the most common retirement accounts and processes below:

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Categories: Divorce, Equitable Distribution

When many people think of divorce, they may picture a couple litigating their case in the court system. It is important to know that there are multiple divorce processes someone can choose from aside from a traditional divorce via the court system such as divorce mediation and a collaborative divorce. While a traditional divorce might be the right process for one couple, another couple might benefit from going a different route such as divorce mediation.

To figure out which process is right for you, we recommend looking into each option so you can make an educated decision for your specific situation. To help you get started, we have outlined the top questions and answers below about divorce mediation:

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Categories: Divorce, Mediation

If one or both spouses in a divorce owns a business or a shared ownership of a business – whether big or small – this will most definitely play a part in the divorce process. There are many items to consider when one or both spouses is involved in a business and they are going through a divorce. For example, if both spouses are a part of the business, will one of the spouses end their role in that business? Will they sell their interest in the business to the other spouse or will both spouses agree to have the business sold in its entirety? 

A business can add an extra layer of complexity onto the divorce process. Because of this, it is important to have trusted legal counsel that can advise as to how the business interests should be addressed in the divorce proceeding, including whether to obtain a business valuation from a reputable firm or an accredited valuation analyst. In regard to the business valuation, it is sometimes beneficial for both spouses to agree on a single valuation firm or individual to complete the process because the process of valuing a business is time-consuming and expensive. However, there are cases where the legal issues involved might require the retention of an expert solely to advocate your position. An experienced divorce attorney can help you with your specific business valuation. In addition to the above information, below is more information you should know about business valuations when going through a divorce:

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Categories: Business, Divorce

A divorce is a complicated process – from dividing assets such as bank, investment, and retirement accounts to the determination of who will retain the marital residence. A way to make it less complicated and less stressful is to be knowledgeable of the topics that will need covered and resolved during the divorce in addition to leaning on an experienced divorce attorney. One of the topics to be prepared to cover is debt.  It may not be the first item that comes to mind, but if not considered thoroughly, it can have a financial burden on one or both of the parties involved in the divorce.

There are many considerations when it comes to debt during a divorce. What if one spouse is hiding credit card debt from the other spouse or one spouse is under the assumption that the other spouse’s student loan is not their responsibility? It can be a game changer for anyone’s divorce. Because of the significance that debt can have on someone’s financial situation, it is important to understand and take control of debt before a divorce occurs. If you are going through a divorce, or about to go through a divorce, below is some information to keep in mind regarding debt:

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Categories: Divorce

Going through a divorce can be difficult and heart wrenching for many reasons – especially if children are involved. Having children can make a divorce more complicated because parents always want their children to grow up in the best situation possible. While a divorce can be difficult on everyone involved, there are ways to make the process go smoothly and to ensure that any children involved are considered every step of the way.

One of the most important ways to ensure that children are taken care of properly during and after a divorce is to come to a consensus as to child custody and to agree on a parenting plan. A parenting plan is a child custody plan that outlines both parents’ responsibilities and schedules for being with the children. It is negotiated by the parents and may be included in the separation agreement or an order of court. An experienced divorce attorney can guide you through the process of creating a parenting plan that is best suited for you, your ex, and most importantly, your children. When creating a parenting plan, below are five topics to keep in mind:

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Categories: Custody, Family Law

The divorce process can not only be tough on your emotions, but it can also be tough on your financial resources. Finances are one of the topics most divorcing couples fear because the unknown of the future can be daunting. When one or both spouses are a high net worth individual, things can get even more worrisome and complicated.

While it may be easy to panic, if you find yourself in a divorce situation with high net worth assets, one thing to remember is that there are experienced divorce attorneys who specialize in high net worth divorces that can guide you and represent you every step of the way. Due to this, one of the first steps we recommend as you approach a divorce is to find the right divorce attorney for you. In addition, you can become knowledgeable of ways to protect your assets. Below are a few tips to get you started:

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Categories: High Net Worth Divorce

A divorce brings with it many topics to consider, some of which may cause worry and confusion to those involved. One of those common topics is spousal support. Whether you may worry that you will not receive the support you need or that you will owe your spouse a hefty amount of money each month, the topic can be daunting, and understandably so. Because of the financial burden that may come out of spousal support during a divorce, we highly recommend that you lean on an experienced divorce attorney who has the knowledge to guide you through the process and achieve the best outcome for you and your family.

Another way to help lessen the worry that may be associated with spousal support is to educate yourself. Once you know what it is, how it differs from other types of support, and what you can expect, you may feel more prepared to tackle it during the divorce process. To aid you in learning about spousal support, we collected some of the top questions and answers below:

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Categories: Support