If you recently decided to get a divorce, you are probably feeling overwhelmed by the process.

Not only are you dealing with the emotional impact of divorce, you may also be concerned about how divorce will affect your income, expenses, property and parenting ability.

You are likely wondering what issues will come up during your divorce proceeding.

A skilled Connecticut divorce lawyer who is not from Fairfield County can answer these questions and help your divorce go more smoothly.

Common Divorce Issues in Fairfield County and How We Can Help

While every divorce is different, there are a few common issues that arise in most divorce cases.

The high net-worth divorce attorneys at StangerLaw LLC can help guide you through a Fairfield County divorce these issues and any others that may come up during your proceeding.

Asset Protection

Property division in Connecticut divorce cases is often highly contested. If you and your spouse do not reach an agreement on property division, the judge presiding over your case will make the ultimate decision about how you divide assets.

For purposes of property division in a divorce, there are two types of property.

Marital property is property that either you or your spouse acquired during your marriage.

Non-marital or separate property is property that you or your spouse acquired before the marriage.

In Connecticut, a judge may divide both property that you acquired during the marriage and property that you owned before the marriage. Usually, a judge will decide that each spouse keeps the property that they acquired before marriage.

However, in cases where this would result in a division that is unfair to one spouse, the judge can award a portion of one spouse’s non-marital property to the other spouse. Even gifts and inheritances you received during your marriage can be divided between you and your spouse.

Divorces in Connecticut involve a high potential for asset re-allocation. Fairfield divorce cases often involve expensive assets.

For this reason, It is important to talk to a divorce lawyer as soon as possible if you are getting a divorce in the state. A lawyer can help you avoid losing valuable property in your high net-worth divorce.

Alimony

There are three types of alimony in C o nnecticut: temporary alimony, rehabilitative alimony, and permanent alimony.

Courts award temporary alimony when the spouse who is not the primary earner needs financial assistance during the divorce case. Temporary alimony allows the lesser-earning spouse to adjust to covering their expenses as a single-earner.

The other type of non-permanent alimony is rehabilitative alimony, which is paid after the divorce is finalized. Rehabilitative alimony is intended to help support one spouse while they obtain the job skills they need to become financially independent. For example, the higher-earning spouse may make payments while the other spouse acquires a degree or certification or completes a training program.

The court determines when the paying spouse can stop making rehabilitative alimony payments.

The third type of alimony is permanent alimony. Courts do not award permanent alimony unless one spouse cannot become financially independent due to circumstances such as a disability.

Business Appraisal

If one of the assets that the court must divide between you and your spouse is a business, your divorce lawyer will help you get your business appraised.

The process of business appraisal can be complicated.

The court must value your business, or determine how much the business is worth in the current market. There are multiple ways to perform a business valuation. The court may look at your business’s financial records to assess revenue, growth, and net worth. It may also compare the recent sale of a similar business to determine the expected value you would receive from selling your business.

Depending on what type of business you own, the court may need to hire experts to perform an appraisal.

The valuation technique used by the court can be a contested issue in a divorce case. You may want to hire your own valuation experts to try to refute the court’s findings. A divorce lawyer outside of Fairfield County can help you determine whether performing your own appraisal will be beneficial to your case.

Alternative Solutions

You may want to avoid the costs and potential conflicts that are associated with settling your divorce in court. The divorce attorneys at StangerLaw LLC offer alternatives such as divorce mediation and arbitration that can help you reach an agreement with your spouse outside of court. Our lawyers will help you discuss the details of your divorce and come to an agreement. Reaching a settlement through mediation takes some of the uncertainty out of divorce because it allows you and your spouse, and not a judge, to decide how to resolve any disagreements.

Alternative divorce solutions can make your divorce much less stressful, but they are not right for every couple. Call a divorce lawyer to talk about whether mediation is the right choice for your divorce.

Contact Our Divorce Lawyers for a Fairfield County Divorce

If your divorce involves the issues discussed above, or completely different issues, the attorneys at StangerLaw LLC are ready to help.

Whether you are a business owner looking to protect your business, or you want to make sure you don’t lose property in your divorce, our experienced attorneys are here to work towards the best possible resolution for you.