People seeking to resolve their complex, high net worth divorces in the Family Law Division of the Maricopa County Superior Court in the State of Arizona can find themselves trapped in a system that is not well suited to meet...more
The common dynamics of failed relationships often make it difficult to think clearly and make good decisions, especially in the early stages of divorce. While my education and training has been focused on the legal and...more
No one contemplates divorce when they are getting married. While some people plan with a pre-nuptial agreement, many do not. If that relationship, which was at one point the most important and fulfilling aspect of your...more
In a custody dispute between parents in an Arizona proceeding, if a parent has committed an act of “domestic violence” their right to have equal decision-making authority and unsupervised, or any, parenting time is at risk. ...more
A judge assigned to a family law calendar in Maricopa County recently remarked that he and his judicial brethren notice that the lawyers practicing family law behave badly towards each other, much worse than what the judges...more
JW Way Fundamental #8: Act with integrity.
"Demonstrate an unwavering commitment to doing the right thing in very action you take and in every decision you make. Own up to your own mistakes and apologize. If you make a...more
JW Way Fundamental #17: Be Relentless about Continuous Improvement"
"Be a lifetime learner and continually invest in your own education, both formally and informally. Be curious and never stop improving your legal,...more
One of the most anxiety-producing experiences for both a family law client and their attorney is navigating through the process relating to a Maricopa County temporary orders hearing. The client’s anxiety is easy to...more
Family law attorneys may have many “high-conflict” divorces in which parents cannot resolve their differences in either a business-like or amicable manner. Typically, there is on-going, unrelenting hostility between the...more
We frequently represent clients who have engaged in some type of transaction with his or her spouse during the marriage that inadvertently causes them to lose certain rights to property unknowingly. This often happens in the...more
5/25/2018
/ Co-Mingled Assets ,
Community Property ,
Debt ,
Division of Assets ,
Divorce ,
Gifts ,
Homeowners ,
Loans ,
Marital Assets ,
Mortgages ,
Quitclaim Deeds ,
Refinancing ,
Separate Property ,
Transmutation of Assets
Where will Emma go to school? Will Jacob’s acne be treated with Accutane? Is Jackson going to see a therapist? For many years divorced parents in Arizona - with equal parenting rights and an inability to agree on such...more
When representing high net worth individuals in divorce proceedings, frequently one of the assets is an ownership interest in a privately held business or professional practice. Establishing a value for the business can be...more
Once most non-family law attorneys find out my specialty, they say “I would never do what you do!" Given that they’re on the outside looking in, it is easy to understand why so many lawyers feel that way.
Originally...more
The divorce rate in the United States has been dropping during the past 20 years. However, divorce among spouses over 50 years old has doubled since 1990! The surge has spawned the term “gray divorce” for these older...more
The valuation of a business or professional practice in a divorce proceeding requires the resolution of unique issues. Among the most significant of these issues are the valuation date and the standard of value to be...more
It is now common for divorcing spouses to seek means of resolving issues in their family law proceeding outside the traditional court system. As in many jurisdictions, the overwhelming numbers of cases and limited judicial...more
People seeking to be divorced or to resolve other problems in the Family Law Division of the Maricopa County Superior Court in the State of Arizona can find themselves trapped in a system that is not well suited to meet their...more
Mediation is a voluntary process in which the parties jointly select a neutral third party facilitator to help reach resolution of all or some of the issues in their divorce proceeding....more
In Arizona, it is not uncommon for a spouse in a dissolution proceeding to assert a “waste” claim against the other spouse. The term “waste” does not appear in the Arizona statutes that define community property or relate to...more
The amount of time it takes for a divorce to be finalized is different in everyone’s case and is driven by a variety of factors.
One of the most important factors is whether other professionals need to be brought into...more
Arizona is a community property state which means all property acquired by either spouse during the marriage is, by statute, presumed to be community property. ...more
In recent years it has become more common for divorcing spouses to agree to jointly engage one expert to value the marital interest in a business or professional practice. ...more
Whenever a privately held business is among the assets in a dissolution proceeding, certain fundamental issues must be addressed in the context of determining the value of the business. If the business is relatively small in...more
Divorce mediation is a process of resolving disputes by engaging a neutral third party who acts as a facilitator, assisting the divorcing spouses in reaching an agreement....more