San Diego Complex Divorce Lawyers
Protecting Your Business Interests

Many divorce cases involve the relatively simple process of dividing the marital estate between the parties and moving on to the rest of their lives.  However, there are also divorces where the process of property division can be extremely complicated, and in these situations there could be much for a man to lose if he does not take careful steps to protect his interests.  These situations usually involve the ownership in a business in one way or another that can be difficult to quantify.  If you face this situation, you need to seek the help of San Diego complex divorce lawyers as soon as possible so you can obtain an understanding of your rights.  Below is an overview of this process.

Business Ownership Interests Can be Difficult to Quantify

Anyone who has ever owned a business or even had an ownership percentage in a business understands that the value of that ownership at any given time is extremely difficult to define.  Therefore, when it comes to assigning some sort of value to this ownership interest in a California divorce case, the two sides can disagree by a wide margin in terms of what that interest is worth and which party should receive how much of that interest or the cash value of it in lieu of the established owner retaining those ownership rights.

Forensic Accountants May Be Necessary

When the owner or part owner of a business could be subject to property division in a court case, the owner has a duty to himself, his partners and employees or to herself, her partners and employees to have an appraisal of the ownership interest and appraisal of the income that attaches with that ownership interest.

This can be done with the help of forensic accountants whose job is to help place a value on businesses that need this question answered.  Forensic accountants are often called to help when a business is about to be sold or merged with another, but they also help many people obtain an understanding of the value of their ownership interests.

How to Proceed with this Business Ownership Value

When the owner or part owner of a business has the answer he needs in regards to the approximate value of his ownership interest, it makes it easier to decide whether part of that ownership interest should be given to this spouse or whether he should simply offer cash, property or other assets to set off what could be liable for property division if the business ownership was actually divided.  In most cases, courts will approve this type of step rather than force a new part owner on a business when that person has had little if anything to do with it up until that point.

If you face this situation and you want to be sure that your interests are protected, contact the San Diego complex divorce lawyers at the Law Offices of Mens Divorce Lawyers immediately to schedule an initial consultation.