Marital Settlement Agreements Lawyer STOCKTON

One of the stickiest tasks in a divorce is making fair split of the assets and liabilities that the divorcing couple has accrued. An experienced divorce attorney in Stockton can help fairly split these assets. This requires first making a complete inventory of all the marital property and debts. California is a community property state, which means that all property and debt acquired after the date of the marriage through its termination date is considered to be owned equally by both spouses and should be equally split at the time of divorce, unless the parties agree to a different arrangement. Contact an attorney with experience handling marital settlement agreements.

The couple can decide for themselves on a fair split of property. If they are able to reach an agreement, whether on their own or as a result of negotiations involving their attorney and mediator, that understanding will be put in writing in the form of a marital settlement agreement, which both will sign. This agreement is ordered and decreed by the court and is incorporated into the Final Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage issued by the Superior Court. If the couple cannot come to an agreement, the court will split the property in half.

A spouse wishing to exclude certain property from the divorce as being non-marital property will need to be able to demonstrate with clearly documented proof that the property is not part of the marital assets. This can be done by producing:

• a valid statement in the deed or title to the property showing that the property is separate from the marriage, or
• a written agreement between the parties that the property is separate and not part of the community property.

Debt acquired during the marriage can also create a thorny problem. California law considers whether the debts were incurred of “necessaries” or “non-necessaries,” and will consider the needs and ability to pay of the respective spouses.

Determining the value of assets is not an easy task. In high asset marriages, especially, real estate appraisals, business valuations, portfolio analyses, and tracking of off-shore investments or other assets are required to determine the total amount of marital assets to be divided in the Marital Settlement Agreement. This requires that you have an attorney with access to CPAs, forensic accountants, real estate professionals, and other financial experts to ensure that all assets are included at an appropriate value and facilitate a fair division.

At Stockton’s Law Office of Jennifer A. Niemeyer, we are not only thoroughly familiar with all aspects of California law, but we also have ongoing relationships with respected financial and real estate professionals who are on call to assist in the evaluation and protection of assets, to ensure that you will receive your fair share in your settlement agreement.

If you are facing a California divorce, we invite you to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with a knowledgeable family law attorney at the Law Office of Jennifer A. Niemeyer.

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