Passionate | Experienced | Strategic

High Net Worth Divorce

Divorce is always complex regardless of what the underlying circumstances are. High-net worth divorces, however, are complexity personified.

Family law and divorce issues involving executives, entrepreneurs, business owners, professionals, and other high net worth individuals require immediate action and intense due diligence.

The consequences for ‘missing something’ or a misstep can affect future generations, businesses, employees, and much more.

Northwest Family Law will help shoulder the burden and ease the stress. As a firm that has successfully settled high-net worth divorces, we thoroughly understand the issues of business valuation, complex investments, trusts, overseas accounts and property, real estate holdings, and the potential effects of prenuptial and postnuptial agreements.

That’s just the start. We know it may get incrementally more complex, quickly.

Executive and entrepreneur divorces may require investigation and documentation far more reaching and in depth than those needed for most divorces.

Alternatives To Litigation

High Net Worth divorce actions have a high potential to become contentious. Quickly. Discussing alternatives with your spouse early in the process should be a serious consideration – the earlier the better.

The case could be high-profile. It is important to remember that alternatives to litigation have the very tangible benefit of being private. No courtroom theatrics, no financial or personal details are aired in public as they are in an open courtroom.

Northwest Family Law will do everything we can to help facilitate mediation or arbitration to keep your matter as private as possible.

From extensive experience, however, we know that in some situations that is simply impossible. When that is the case we stand ready to litigate.

Building A Financial Picture, A Team Effort

High Net Worth divorce is a team effort. Appraisers, valuation experts, accountants, financial planners, and more, all of whom have divorce experience are essential for a successful outcome.

Hypotheticals need to be explored from the start. Starting with ‘where are the assets’ and ending with “what happens to this asset if . . .” every issue, it seems, uncovers more issues.

Some of those issues include:

  •   Discovering Assets
  •   Debt
  •   Benefit Packages
  •   Business Valuation
  •   Immigration and Visa
  •   Real Estate
  •   Restrictive Stock
  •   Tax Consequences
  •   Hard to Value Assets
  •   Collections
  •   Inheritances
  •   Prenuptial Agreements

These issues, and more, make compiling a realistic financial picture difficult – but certainly not impossible. It takes a team led by a law firm with the knowledge and the experience to know where to look and what questions to ask, and a mastery of Washington family law to reach a successful solution.

It takes Northwest Family Law.