When dividing assets during a divorce, I encourage my clients to ask the following questions: What do I really want? What would I really like? What can I do without? What does my spouse really want? What would my spouse like to have? What can my spouse live without?
The division of assets can be broken into two categories, which are marital property and non-marital property. Anything that was owned before marriage in non-marital and anything owned after marriage or given to a spouse during a marriage is considered marital property. Total assets can be compiled by compiling a list of mortgages, credit card balances, car loans and other debts. Negotiations are important when dividing assets, and often times, a skilled divorce attorney is necessary to mediate these negotiations to ensure that each party is content with the results.
One of the primary reasons that VanDyken Law specializes in the Holistic approach to divorce law is how we help our clients navigate through the division of assets in divorce. I attempt to ask questions with positive responses, such as, “What can we do to make this work well for everyone?” Or, “How can we make this better for everyone?”
I believe that my clients have a right to an attorney that will manage their case and resolve legal issues as harmoniously as possible. It takes expertise and skill to circumvent conflict or resolve it when necessary. Avoiding conflict ultimately helps my clients by reducing legal fees and minimizes the stress that unnecessary conflict would bring.
As a divorce attorney specializing a compassionate approach, if I can get my clients to focus on the positive aspects of their history when they were together (what worked well or what went right in their daily routines), then I can extract that to find positive solutions for the clients’ division of assets, which also includes the discussion of child custody.
Written on behalf of Stacy L. Van Dyken
