In divorce involving business, real estate, intellectual property, stock options, or complicated financial assets, the attorney must have extensive business background and experience.  If he doesn’t, then the likelihood of your success is limited.  If the attorney has not been involved with business formation, operation, sale and financing, it is difficult for the attorney to understand the fine points necessary to establish the value of the business. 

Therefore, the inexperienced attorney has no choice but to rely upon expensive experts, who will be paid for by the client.  This creates problems because of the costs involved, and the attorney is now dependent upon the expert’s opinion.  It is rare for a divorce attorney to have extensive business and real estate background and experience to understand complex financial investments. 

Typically, divorce attorneys are so specialized in family law that they do not have the broad background in business necessary for high asset value divorces. 

Take Away: If you own a business or real estate, or have intellectual property, stock options or other complicated financial assets, be sure to carefully question your divorce attorney about their knowledge in each of these areas.