Again that depends on whether it’s a non-contested divorce with all terms settled or whether it’s a contested divorce. Contested divorces go anywhere for $2,500, $20,000, $30,000 or higher. I would say that if you have a contested middle class divorce, the average is between $5 and $20,000. If you have a contested divorce with an estate in the seven figure range, you’re probably talking $20 to $50,000 in cost. If you have an uncontested divorce in which all the terms are agreed to, we can usually do that for a flat fee of around $2,000.
By: Scott Shaw
Again that depends on whether it’s a non-contested divorce with all terms settled or whether it’s a contested divorce. Contested divorces go anywhere for $2,500, $20,000, $30,000 or higher. I would say that if you have a contested middle class divorce, the average is between $5 and $20,000. If you have a contested divorce with an estate in the seven figure range, you’re probably talking $20 to $50,000 in cost. If you have an uncontested divorce in which all the terms are agreed to, we can usually do that for a flat fee of around $2,000.
By: Scott Shaw
An equitable division of property in a divorce in the state of Georgia, one of the most important complicated issues is often if there is a family business. Can you keep the business running? How do you divide the value of the business? And rest assured, a family business is a marital asset that can be divided, and it’s one of the most contested issues you will come into. Sometimes it’s as simple as just getting an appraiser and putting a value on it. Of course how you value the business, that’s another issue. And sometimes you can be creative.
For example, we had a case where my client inherited the business when they got married. It was a 20-year marriage, so 20 years ago. It was her family’s business. And her husband actually was president of the business for 20 years, and he demanded a certain amount of money to be paid for his share of the business that would have bankrupted the family business that she inherited from her parents, that her parents inherited from their parents.
So we got creative, and we had the business appraised going back from 20 years ago, the value at the time she inherited it and was married, and we adjusted it for the rate of inflation. And sure enough he still mismanaged the business, that over 20 years the business adjusted for inflation only increased by $25,000.
So that’s what we offered him, and the judge agreed with us. So on the right case you can be creative, and you can save the family business. But in general, if you have the family business to deal with, you have a lot of complicated issues that have to be addressed, and you need someone who knows what they’re doing to address them. And at Shaw Law Firm we are happy to take your telephone calls or inquiries. Thank you.
By: Scott Shaw
An equitable division of property in a divorce in the state of Georgia, one of the most important complicated issues is often if there is a family business. Can you keep the business running? How do you divide the value of the business? And rest assured, a family business is a marital asset that can be divided, and it’s one of the most contested issues you will come into. Sometimes it’s as simple as just getting an appraiser and putting a value on it. Of course how you value the business, that’s another issue. And sometimes you can be creative.
For example, we had a case where my client inherited the business when they got married. It was a 20-year marriage, so 20 years ago. It was her family’s business. And her husband actually was president of the business for 20 years, and he demanded a certain amount of money to be paid for his share of the business that would have bankrupted the family business that she inherited from her parents, that her parents inherited from their parents.
So we got creative, and we had the business appraised going back from 20 years ago, the value at the time she inherited it and was married, and we adjusted it for the rate of inflation. And sure enough he still mismanaged the business, that over 20 years the business adjusted for inflation only increased by $25,000.
So that’s what we offered him, and the judge agreed with us. So on the right case you can be creative, and you can save the family business. But in general, if you have the family business to deal with, you have a lot of complicated issues that have to be addressed, and you need someone who knows what they’re doing to address them. And at Shaw Law Firm we are happy to take your telephone calls or inquiries. Thank you.
By: Scott Shaw
In equitable division, stock options are subject to be divided in a divorce. Now, stock options can be a very complicated asset to divide. Not all employer plans actually allow stock options to be divided to each party, so you often have to determine what the monetary value of the stock option is to make sure the options can be divided.
Sometimes, you have to become a trustee for your spouse. A very complicated issue, and often is very hotly contested, is what if there are contingencies to be awarded of your stock option or other investment vehicle. For example, let’s say you have options that you’ve been awarded, but you only get them if you remain in the company – the golden handcuffs or something. You can argue that those options, even though it’s your option to quit the company, should not be awarded as marital property because if you don’t work the four years after the marriage, you don’t get them.
These are hotly contested issues. But, in general, your typical stock option that has been invested during the marriage needs to be valued and the property is divided in equitable division in the State of Georgia.
By: Scott Shaw
In equitable division, stock options are subject to be divided in a divorce. Now, stock options can be a very complicated asset to divide. Not all employer plans actually allow stock options to be divided to each party, so you often have to determine what the monetary value of the stock option is to make sure the options can be divided.
Sometimes, you have to become a trustee for your spouse. A very complicated issue, and often is very hotly contested, is what if there are contingencies to be awarded of your stock option or other investment vehicle. For example, let’s say you have options that you’ve been awarded, but you only get them if you remain in the company – the golden handcuffs or something. You can argue that those options, even though it’s your option to quit the company, should not be awarded as marital property because if you don’t work the four years after the marriage, you don’t get them.
These are hotly contested issues. But, in general, your typical stock option that has been invested during the marriage needs to be valued and the property is divided in equitable division in the State of Georgia.
By: Scott Shaw
After you’ve been served, you have 30 days to file an answer, and this is not something that you can or should ignore. If you do not file an answer, the other party can proceed forward, and after 45 days, ask the court to take a default judgment against you, which is not something you want to do. If you’ve been served with legal papers, you need to immediately contact an attorney, seek advice, and start planning on how to respond. It may be a case that perhaps we can settle quickly, or maybe a case that will be required to be contested. Contact an attorney immediately.
By: Scott Shaw
After you’ve been served, you have 30 days to file an answer, and this is not something that you can or should ignore. If you do not file an answer, the other party can proceed forward, and after 45 days, ask the court to take a default judgment against you, which is not something you want to do. If you’ve been served with legal papers, you need to immediately contact an attorney, seek advice, and start planning on how to respond. It may be a case that perhaps we can settle quickly, or maybe a case that will be required to be contested. Contact an attorney immediately.
By: Scott Shaw
Hello. My name is Scott Shaw, founder and principal of Shaw Law Firm, LLC. A law firm I founded in 1995. Child custody along with divorce and other areas of family law are our only area of legal practice. We don’t accept any other types of cases. In this video I will be discussing the topic of Lump Sum Alimony. When most people think of alimony, they think of a monthly payment to the other spouse.
Lump Sum Alimony is different though. It is different because it is a one time award of assets to the other spouse, and it’s a very dangerous thing to play around with. Lump Sum Alimony is so dangerous, because it is a way for a court or a jury to punish the other party, or to otherwise do equity. Because in a divorce, what usually happens is that each party is awarded their non-marital or premarital assets, and then the parties divide up the marital assets.
But what happens when most of the assets are one party’s non-marital assets, leaving very little to divide to the other party? In such a case, the court has the power to invade your non-marital estate even if you inherited it, owned it before marriage or whatever, and award some or all of it to your spouse. And a court can do so just because, in the right case it is a huge weapon and it should be scary to you.
One case where this came into great effect for me involved a jury trial in which the opposing party, which is the husband in that case, brought a few million dollars into marriage. And he married my client, where the time of marriage was a six figure per year consultant, while he is having an affair with another woman. A few years into the marriage, my client gave up her career in order to have a baby. The opposing party was still having this affair with this other woman, and in fact had another baby with this woman unbeknownst to my client.
Five years past, and by the time my client figured all this out, her job skills had antiquated. Yet most of the assets in the case were still the husband’s non-marital assets that he brought into the marriage to begin with. He thought he was looking pretty, and my client had no ability to be awarded those assets. Since most of the assets in this case were non-marital, there wasn’t a whole lot to claim as marital property. We could ask for monthly traditional alimony, but instead of doing that we in addition demanded a Lump Sum award of alimony from his non-marital estate. And we demanded the jury award it to us. Long and short, this case ended up settling because the husband’s attorney saw the very large liability he had for the jury awarding a portion of his client’s non-marital assets to my client.
This could have been millions of dollars and possible liability for him, because we had a great case for an award of Lump Sum Alimony under these circumstances. This is one of the nuance factors of family law and divorce law that most people aren’t even aware of. And at Shaw Law Firm this is all we do, and we welcome your inquiries and questions. Thank you.
By: Scott Shaw
Hello. My name is Scott Shaw, founder and principal of Shaw Law Firm, LLC. A law firm I founded in 1995. Child custody along with divorce and other areas of family law are our only area of legal practice. We don’t accept any other types of cases. In this video I will be discussing the topic of Lump Sum Alimony. When most people think of alimony, they think of a monthly payment to the other spouse.
Lump Sum Alimony is different though. It is different because it is a one time award of assets to the other spouse, and it’s a very dangerous thing to play around with. Lump Sum Alimony is so dangerous, because it is a way for a court or a jury to punish the other party, or to otherwise do equity. Because in a divorce, what usually happens is that each party is awarded their non-marital or premarital assets, and then the parties divide up the marital assets.
But what happens when most of the assets are one party’s non-marital assets, leaving very little to divide to the other party? In such a case, the court has the power to invade your non-marital estate even if you inherited it, owned it before marriage or whatever, and award some or all of it to your spouse. And a court can do so just because, in the right case it is a huge weapon and it should be scary to you.
One case where this came into great effect for me involved a jury trial in which the opposing party, which is the husband in that case, brought a few million dollars into marriage. And he married my client, where the time of marriage was a six figure per year consultant, while he is having an affair with another woman. A few years into the marriage, my client gave up her career in order to have a baby. The opposing party was still having this affair with this other woman, and in fact had another baby with this woman unbeknownst to my client.
Five years past, and by the time my client figured all this out, her job skills had antiquated. Yet most of the assets in the case were still the husband’s non-marital assets that he brought into the marriage to begin with. He thought he was looking pretty, and my client had no ability to be awarded those assets. Since most of the assets in this case were non-marital, there wasn’t a whole lot to claim as marital property. We could ask for monthly traditional alimony, but instead of doing that we in addition demanded a Lump Sum award of alimony from his non-marital estate. And we demanded the jury award it to us. Long and short, this case ended up settling because the husband’s attorney saw the very large liability he had for the jury awarding a portion of his client’s non-marital assets to my client.
This could have been millions of dollars and possible liability for him, because we had a great case for an award of Lump Sum Alimony under these circumstances. This is one of the nuance factors of family law and divorce law that most people aren’t even aware of. And at Shaw Law Firm this is all we do, and we welcome your inquiries and questions. Thank you.
By: Scott Shaw
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