Dividing marital property is a crucial step before a Connecticut judge can grant you a divorce. When you have substantial assets or your finances are complicated, negotiating a fair division can be challenging. An experienced Stamford complex property division lawyer can help ensure that you receive a fair share of the marital property. The property division attorneys at Dolan Divorce Lawyers manage high-asset divorces with efficiency, integrity, and a commitment to ensuring you leave your marriage with a fair property settlement.
Many states automatically recognize separate property from marital property when a couple is divorcing. In contrast, Connecticut General Statutes § 46b-81 establishes that both spouses have an interest in everything either spouse owns on the separation date. A spouse can only designate separate property through a properly executed premarital or postnuptial agreement.
Although both spouses have an interest in all property, they are not automatically entitled to equal shares. Property division must be fair given the circumstances of your marriage, but need not be equal. Courts consider numerous factors, including the length of the marriage and each spouse’s economic and non-economic contributions to the household, when determining an equitable division of property.
Before property settlement negotiations can begin, our Stamford attorneys must have both a clear understanding of your goals and the value of your marital estate. The process of valuing marital assets can be time-consuming, but is necessary to ensure you receive a fair share of the marital property.
Shortly after filing for divorce, both spouses must submit financial disclosure forms, tax returns for the prior three years, and bank statements from the prior two years. When the parties have complex holdings, these initial disclosures are often followed by written requests for further documentation.
The parties must agree on a value for all marital assets. Reaching a valuation can be challenging when the marital estate contains assets such as:
Even personal property such as jewelry, art, or antiques can be difficult to value in an uncertain market.
Our Stamford property division attorneys have developed a network of outstanding professionals who can assist in identifying and valuing all types of marital property. These experts include appraisers, tax professionals, business valuators, earning capacity experts, and forensic accountants. Judicious use of outside experts can be cost-effective and ensure that your share of the marital property is calculated based on complete and accurate information.
Disputes over financial disclosures or valuations sometimes arise in high-net-worth divorces. When the disagreement arises in good faith, resolving it through negotiation is often the wisest strategy. Sometimes, however, misinformation or lack of transparency is intentional and meant to deprive the other spouse of their fair share of the marital estate.
Our attorneys in Stamford can bring any attempt to hide or intentionally undervalue marital assets to the judge’s attention. If the judge agrees that the error or omission was intentional, they could order the offending spouse to pay your attorney’s fees or impose other sanctions against them. The misconduct could also persuade a judge to award you a larger percentage of the marital estate.
When a judge enters a property division order as part of a divorce decree, it is final, so your valuations and divisions must be complete and fair before your divorce is finalized. Work with a Stamford complex property division lawyer with the financial sophistication and legal knowledge to ensure you receive a fair share of the marital estate. Dolan Divorce Lawyers have significant expertise in high-asset and complex asset divorces, so contact us to discuss your situation today.
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