Skillful Florida Asset Division Attorney Represents Divorcing Spouses

Accomplished Delray Beach lawyer negotiates property division agreements

At the Florida family law firm of Miller Morse Law PLLC in Delray Beach, we work to make the divorce process as smooth and efficient as possible. When you and your spouse are able to agree on how assets and debts should be split up, our office can draft and review the terms and advise you on amendments you may want to make to protect your interests. If your breakup is contentious, the court will look to achieve an equitable but not necessarily equal distribution that provides each spouse with his or her fair share of the marital estate.

Thorough Palm Beach County divorce firm assists with marital property distribution

With some exceptions, everything you and your spouse accumulate during your marriage is considered marital property. This means that unless you have a prearranged legal agreement to the contrary, the assets you and your spouse gain individually while you’re wed belong to you as a couple rather than belonging to either of you as separate property. Assets either spouse owned before the marriage remain separate property.

The types of assets that will be divided in your divorce may include:

• Real estate — The home you share with your spouse may be the most valuable part of your marital estate. If one spouse purchased the home individually before the marriage, the gain or loss in the home’s value during the marriage is a gain or loss of the marital estate.
• Bank accounts, stocks and bonds — Whether you and your spouse have both your names on an account, or one spouse opened the account on his or her own, there is joint legal ownership of the financial assets accumulated over the course of the marriage.
• Retirement accounts — Increases in value to either spouse’s retirement account during the marriage are considered increases to the value of marital property. IRAs, 401ks, pensions and other types of retirement plans can be divided unless either partner named another beneficiary outside the marriage.
• Household property — A property division agreement or order sets rules for everything from automobiles to furniture to artwork and sentimental items.
• Debts — The marital estate has the legal obligation to pay off debt racked up by either spouse during the marriage.

A judge may decide as part of an equitable distribution order that one spouse is primarily responsible for debts he or she accumulated, or that one spouse has a stronger claim to any other piece of property. Florida courts aim to ensure that each spouse exits the marriage without an unfair financial burden or advantage.

Meticulous attorney searches for hidden assets during high-asset divorces

High-value marital estates come with high stakes during a divorce. Couples who own a significant amount of wealth may have a complex and diverse portfolio of financial assets. Separating these assets in an equitable way can become complicated. Evaluations may be required for artwork, antiques, vehicles and other pieces of property.

Florida law requires full financial disclosure from each spouse during a divorce. It is not uncommon for one spouse to try to hide assets so that the other spouse cannot access them. A person may use a physical hiding space, such as a safe deposit box or the home of a friend or family member. Assets may also be hidden in secret bank accounts, through fraudulent accounting of business expenses and in other creative ways.

Our law firm is well-versed in the methods divorcing spouses use to hide assets and will undertake a full financial investigation to find and disclose hidden assets so that the court has accurate information.

Contact a persistent Delray Beach asset division attorney to handle your Florida divorce

At Miller Morse Law PLLC, we advocate for clients in asset division matters when their marriage ends. We handle Palm Beach County property division for couples of all wealth levels. To speak with an experienced attorney, call our Delray Beach, Florida office at 561-422-4832 or contact us online to schedule a consultation.