Consulting

MATRIMONIAL

Matrimonial matters may represent a difficult time in a family’s life. Always sensitive to the needs and objectives of the parties and their attorneys, our experienced professionals assist attorneys in managing the emotional and financial stress caused by divorce.

When faced with the complex financial issues of a divorce, it is critical that the parties engage financial experts with the proper technical skills.

We apply our skills and judgment either working with attorneys for one party, or as a neutral financial expert retained by the court or as agreed upon by the parties.

We maintain active roles in many professional organizations in our disciplines, and contribute articles to nationally recognized peer reviewed journals and publications. We have attained the highest level of credentials within our profession and serve as national instructors and lecturers to various professional groups, including state CPA organizations, on various business valuation and forensic accounting topics.

Services Offered

  • Discovery Assistance and Financial Forensics
    Each spouse has an obligation to provide complete and accurate disclosure of all income and assets, although divorcing spouses may not always be forthcoming or transparent. We have the expertise, resources, and creativity to craft comprehensive discovery requests and to search for, and identify, undisclosed assets and income. We combine data analysis techniques with strong investigative skills. Our findings benefit our clients and their attorneys in a myriad of ways.
  • Investigative Services
    An attorney’s impact on a matter can be greatly enhanced by the information provided during the dispute. Our forensic accounting litigation specialists link the people and the money by identifying critical data. Such investigative analyses can include uncovering previously undetected entities, assets, and associations.
  • Income Stream and Lifestyle Analysis
    We identify the parties’ income streams and living expenses to provide a complete picture for the standard of living previously enjoyed.
  • Valuation of Closely Held Businesses
    We conduct valuations of businesses and business interests. Utilizing our forensic accounting and valuation experience and resources, we determine the fair market value of a business.
  • Tax Consequences and Strategic Planning
    The appropriate handling of tax issues can save divorcing parties substantial sums of money. We analyze and strategize the financial ramifications of alternative settlement structures to maximize the marital assets.
  • Assistance in Negotiations
    We can offer creative solutions to help overcome obstacles to settlement.
  • Expert Witness and Testimony Services
    We can prepare an expert report, critique and rebut an opposing expert’s report, and testify in court.
  • Post-Divorce Planning
    We offer ongoing tax and financial advisory services to divorcing clients, which is particularly valuable to parties who previously relied on their spouse and his/her advisors.

 

Matrimonial Case Studies

Assignment :
We were retained by a non-owner spouse to perform a forensic accounting investigation and business valuation of the spouse’s business in a marital dissolution case. Historically, the business reported minimal net income resulting in nominal value.

Result :
While performing our forensic accounting review we uncovered sizeable undocumented disbursements, which resulted in a reduction of the company’s net income. By adding back these disbursements to net income, the value of the company was increased by approximately $1 million and our client’s equitable distribution by approximately $500,000.

Assignment :
We were retained by a non-owner spouse whose husband died during the course of the matrimonial action, leaving this individual in charge of the family business. Our investigation focused on the alleged theft of business assets and the unauthorized use of corporate funds by a key financial employee of the deceased spouse’s business. We traced the movement of monies from dozens of business accounts to determine if any funds were misappropriated.

Result :
Our investigation revealed that the key employee had signed checks from several business accounts to pay personal expenses. We provided counsel with the supporting documentation necessary to recover the stolen assets.

All Case Studies