Portland High-Asset Divorce Attorney
High Asset Divorce Lawyers in Portland, Oregon
Our Portland high-asset divorce attorneys are skilled at looking at the long-term financial effects divorce may have on your future. In addition to the emotional and financial uncertainty that divorce generally causes, it can also substantially disrupt years of carefully planned financial investment. This is particularly true if your marital estate is large, contains multiple investment accounts, assets located in other states or internationally, business or land interests, substantial retirement accounts, or stocks.It is critical that you have attorneys on your side with knowledge and experience to discuss your interests at all phases of your divorce. When necessary, we will add to our team of lawyers and bring in independent expert witnesses or forensic accountants. Whether it is to value a personal business, to forecast a retirement account, or provide valuations of land, using the right professionals to evaluate your marital estate is critical to obtaining the best results.
Our lawyers routinely assist clients with multiple securities accounts, stock portfolios, investment accounts, IRAs, 401(k)s, pensions, and other retirement plans. We can discuss the financial options available for clients who are likely to pay child and spousal support. Likewise, we can discuss various options with parties who are likely to receive support awards so that they can plan for their new financial future.
High asset divorce cases require skill, experience, and attention to detail. Contact one of our expert Portland high-asset divorce attorneys today to set up a consultation.
What To Expect In An Oregon Divorce Consultation
We meet with all potential clients in person for the first consultation. This allows us to meet potential clients and hear the background of each case, to determine if your case is a good fit for our office, and to provide information about a client’s rights and responsibilities under Oregon law. We offer this initial consultation for a flat fee.
When starting the process for finding a lawyer, potential clients often ask “who is the best divorce lawyer in Oregon” or the “who is the best divorce lawyer in Portland?” The answer is: the lawyer who gets the results you need. Like the rest of family law, there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to selecting a family law attorney. The best attorney for you is the one who listens to your circumstances, provides solid legal advice, and facilitates and achieves your goals. Contact one of our Portland high-asset divorce attorneys today to set up a consultation.
High Asset Divorce Lawyers in Portland
Ending a marriage is a challenging time for anyone. But for high asset couples, they can be technically complex, with many different jointly-owned assets, investments, and businesses to consider. They may also include the enforcement or interpretation of a prenuptial agreement.
While high asset divorces don’t always involve high-profile individuals, these couples have amassed substantial assets throughout their lives, both together and apart. This can make disentangling them particularly complicated.
The Unique Challenges of High Asset Divorces in Oregon
In the state of Oregon, we follow an equitable distribution system of dividing joint assets and property. This means that all marital assets will be divided by the couple “equitably” but not necessarily evenly. Particularly when one party has a much higher income than the other, matters of spousal support, child support, and splitting of assets can become contentious. Because of this, a high asset divorce can be especially problematic.
Identification and Assessment of Joint Assets
High asset divorces typically involve a significant amount of marital property accumulated over a marriage. Identifying and assessing these marital assets in a high asset divorce is multifaceted. These assets may include:
- Multiple homes; including rental properties
- Complicated investment and retirement vehicles
- Shared corporate and business interests
- Inheritances, gifts, or personal injury awards
- International investments and accounts
- Complicated spousal support, child support, and custody issues
- Tax implications
A determination must be made whether assets are marital (and subject to the presumption of equal contribution) or separate and whether a comprehensive valuation should be conducted for those that are marital in nature. Many times, there are international issues to consider when assets or accounts are held outside the country. Complicated tax implications must also be considered. In all these cases, you will need the assistance of a high asset attorney in Portland with the experience necessary to consider all these complicated issues.
Other Complexities of High Asset Divorces
Ending a high asset marriage may cause one party to try to hide assets from the other, so they are not considered in the equitable distribution process. Hiding assets can be quite sophisticated and can happen in many different ways, including
- Transferring funds to other parties or family members
- Transferring funds to offshore accounts
- Underreporting income
- Underreporting the value of assets
- Changing names on investments
- Making large purchases hoping to go unnoticed
Assets are not the only consideration in high asset divorces. The debt must also be distributed equitably. Although the debt of the individuals before marriage may not be considered, any debt incurred by the couple after marriage could become the obligation of both parties. This may be quite complicated when considering business ventures, multiple properties, tax bills, and penalties, or other factors.
Prenuptial agreements may also factor into high asset divorces frequently. In the case of a couple acquiring much more wealth than anticipated at the time of the prenup, it may require a reassessment of the agreement by the court.
In all these cases, it is essential to locate and have a comprehensive valuation placed on all assets and debt to ensure that it is equitably distributed under the law. This will frequently require the assistance of financial professionals, valuation appraisers, and forensic accountants to arrive at accurate valuations or to locate missing or overlooked assets.
Getting the Legal Representation of an Experienced High Asset Divorce Attorney in Portland
Because of the complexity of high asset divorces, it is essential to have the experience, skill, and guidance of an experienced Portland high-asset divorce attorney to ensure that your legal rights and financial future are being represented. The experienced family law attorneys at Brittle Family Law Group have the unique experience it takes to represent your financial rights in a high asset divorce situation. Contact us to schedule an initial consultation.