Experience alone is not the defining attribute when representing physicians, executives, or their spouses. While critically important, the knowledge of various investments and compensation packages is essential in determining a value of marital assets and evaluating an equitable resolution to a divorce case. Often high earning executives are compensated with stock grants, options, profit sharing, or shareholder equity. Executives may have other benefits such as expense accounts, vehicle(s) or severance packages (often referred to as parachutes) that pay out if a company is taken over or bought out through merger.
While not all attorneys are created equal, their education can vary widely. All attorneys take the basics of torts, contracts, real estate, criminal law, evidence, and constitutional law. None of these really prepare an attorney for the intricacies of divorce, especially identification and division of complex assets and calculation of spousal support/maintenance.
Many highly compensated employees also have various types of retirement packages. Those may include stock ownership, rights, options, retention packages, pensions, annuities, IRA, 401(k) and 403(b) plans.
Additionally, many people do not want their financial information to become public knowledge or part of the public record. As such, collaborative divorce is often an option to limit exposure and facilitate cooperation between the parties. Due to a variety of factors, people with financial resources often end up with significant fighting and litigation. This results in additional stress on the parties, resentment by one or both parties, as well as causing rifts in relationships with children. Collaborative process seeks to reduce these issues and provide a more peaceful resolution.
If you are in or contemplating divorce, make sure that your attorney knows the various types of investments, compensation, and retirement and can help you understand, identify and divide marital values. For consultation in Northern Kentucky, contact Michael Bouldin, email [email protected] or call 859-581-6453.
*Michael Bouldin has a bachelor degree in business economics and has significant experience handling complex financial matters relative to divorces.