Forensic Accounting in Complex Divorce Cases
Being upfront about financial status can make a divorce or dissolution case less stressful and less time-consuming. In cases of high asset divorce, Blue Ash complex divorce lawyer John Heilbrun might engage the services of a forensic accountant to analyze the value and ownership of assets to aid you in negotiating an effective separation agreement, or to assist trying your case in court.
Forensic accountants are usually CPAs (certified public accountants) who combine several different skill sets to analyze financial information and provide evidence suitable for use in civil and criminal courts. These specialties include:
- Accounting: Knowledge of how financial records are tracked and kept
- Investigation: Systematic examination of financial records for suspicious activity
- Auditing: Comparing actual transactions to numbers quoted in financial statements
In complex divorce cases, forensic accountants can help determine whether assets, debts and property belong jointly to you and your spouse, just one partner or a combination of the two. Forensic accountants can also help analyze financial records for evidence of:
- Hidden income or assets, such as unreported taxable earnings, deferring job raises or bonuses until after the divorce, undervalued possessions, cash kept as traveler’s checks, undisclosed retirement accounts, etc.
- Transferred funds to a friend, family or potential romantic connection, in the form of money, gifts, travel expenditures, etc.
- Closely held business interests and activities, including spending business funds for personal use, fraudulent expenditures, issuing and then voiding checks, intentionally misstating the value of the business, etc.
Your complex divorce attorney can use this financial information to protect your interests in trying to negotiate terms that are fair to you, or during contested divorce proceedings. The findings of a forensic accountant can affect several different issues in divorce cases, including:
- Asset, debt and property division
- Eligibility for alimony/spousal support
- Child support payments
If you’re facing the end of your marriage and want to find an experienced Blue Ash complex divorce attorney who can protect your assets, please contact the Law Office of John Heilbrun or call 513-321-3940 today to begin building your case. Mr. Heilbrun serves clients in or around the greater Cincinnati area.