Orange County Divorce Lawyer for Accountants

Orange County Divorce Attorney for Accountants

The financial and emotional implications of divorce have the potential to negatively impact a person’s life forever. When dealing with such high stakes, you need a knowledgeable Orange County divorce lawyer for accountants. They’ll understand the unique aspects of your job experience and work with you to secure the most favorable outcome.

Hire a Divorce Lawyer for Accountants

The 19 attorneys at Minyard Morris have over 350 combined years of professional experience. Our Orange County clients benefit from our assertive and devoted litigation approach at the Lamoreaux Justice Center. We’re here for your needs and will fight tirelessly to secure the most favorable outcome possible. To achieve this, our firm has weekly strategy meetings to discuss the details of our client’s cases.

When you work with one of us, you’re working with all of us. Our team knows that to secure a successful outcome, you need to creatively expand your point of view. With our years of practical experience in every type of case imaginable, we’re able to assist team members in building unique legal strategies.

How Property Division During Divorce Is Handled in California

When you hire a divorce lawyer who is experienced working with accountants, they’ll be able to explain expectations for divorce proceedings. After filing your case, you’ll need to work with your legal team to resolve divorce issues, such as property division.

In 2023, the average household income was $113,702 in Orange County. The average home value was $915,500. These assets tend to be a couple’s highest-value assets, making the protection of them imperative. Courts determine property division based on two types of property:

• Community property. This is generally anything acquired during marriage by either spouse, including individual income and debts taken on. Unless couples agree otherwise, this property is split equally during divorce.
• Separate property. This is generally anything acquired before marriage and isn’t divided during divorce. However, if separate property becomes commingled with community property, it may become subject to division. For example, if you receive a large inheritance before marriage and use that inheritance to pay for marital home improvements, that money may be divided during divorce.

Mediation may be a viable option for couples to work on a solution to their divorce issues together. This alternative to court is attended by all parties to work through divorce issues outside the public court systems.

However, the team at Minyard Morris focuses on your needs, not the needs or desires of your spouse. If we find that mediation sessions aren’t productive, we’re happy to reject offers and go straight to trial.

Types of Spousal Support in a California Divorce

Spousal support is financial payments made from one spouse to the other during and after divorce. When a court decides on spousal support, it considers many things to make sure the decision is fair, such as:

• How much each person earns and whether that maintains the lifestyle they had during the marriage
• The skills of the spouse asking for support, how easy it is to find a job using those skills, and whether they need extra education or training
• Whether time spent on household duties during the marriage affected a spouse’s ability to earn
• How much the supported spouse helped the other get an education, training, or career
• How much the paying spouse affords to pay, including their income, assets, and lifestyle
• Each person’s financial needs, debts, and property
• How long did the marriage last
• The age and health of both spouses
• Tax consequences for both spouses

Generally, the goal is for the supported spouse to become self-sufficient within a reasonable time, usually half the length of the marriage, though the court may adjust this for long-term marriages or unique situations.

Situations Where Spousal Support May Be Denied

Spousal support may be denied if the spouse asking for support has enough separate property, their own income, and sufficient community property to support themselves. If the supported spouse lives with a new partner, the court generally assumes they need less support, though this may be changed if circumstances change.

Child Custody Laws in California

California courts work to provide children with frequent contact with both parents after a divorce. Parents are encouraged to share the responsibilities of raising their child, unless contact with a parent would not be safe for the child. When determining who will have custody of the child, courts consider:

• The child’s health, safety, and overall well-being
• How much time the child spends with each parent
• The preference of the child, if they’re over 14 years old

Courts typically assume that joint custody is in the best interest of a child if both parents agree to it. To make this decision, the court may order an investigation to help understand the situation and what arrangement would benefit the child most. Joint custody orders may be changed or ended if circumstances change, and it’s in the child’s best interest.

How Child Support is Determined in a California Divorce Case

California has a statewide uniform guideline for calculating child support. The court divides support based on each parent’s income and the amount of time the child spends with each parent. The guideline is generally presumed correct, but the court may adjust it if using the formula would be unfair.

The support amount equals a percentage of the parents’ combined income, adjusted for the time each parent spends with the child. There are multipliers for more than one child. If the formula produces a positive number, the higher earner pays; if negative, the lower earner pays. For high-income earners, courts may assign more in child support. Each case is different, making it important to have a skilled lawyer to represent you during legal proceedings.

Orange County Divorce Lawyer for Accountants

When you work with our team, you receive a dedicated group of family law attorneys who put our clients first. No matter what challenges lie ahead, our attorneys focus on providing the outcome that is not only desired but deserved. With a collaborative mindset, you are never alone in your divorce process. Contact us today and let us put our knowledge and experience to work for you.