Last modified:

High Asset Divorce Attorney

Grand Rapids High Asset Divorce Attorney

High Asset Divorce at a Glance

  • High-asset divorces often involve complex property division issues, including business interests, retirement accounts, investment portfolios, real estate holdings, and high-value personal property.
  • Michigan follows equitable distribution laws, meaning marital assets are divided fairly — not always equally — based on the unique circumstances of the marriage and each spouse’s financial contributions.
  • Determining whether assets are marital or separate property can become complicated when inheritances, businesses, appreciation in value, or commingled assets are involved.
  • High-net-worth divorce cases frequently require financial professionals, business valuation experts, forensic accountants, and appraisers to accurately assess complex assets and uncover hidden income or property.
  • Retirement accounts, stock options, deferred compensation, and executive benefits may carry major tax consequences during divorce negotiations, making strategic legal guidance essential.
  • An experienced Grand Rapids high asset divorce attorney can help protect your financial interests, negotiate favorable settlements, and aggressively litigate disputes involving substantial wealth and property.

The Benefits of Hiring an Experienced Grand Rapids High-Asset Divorce Attorney

For couples with substantial assets, getting a divorce can be a high-stakes proposition. Whether you and your spouse have both contributed financially for years (or decades), or one of you is the primary or sole earner, under Michigan law, any assets acquired during your marriage are likely to be subject to division in your divorce.

Hiring a Grand Rapids high asset divorce attorney is likely the best approach to minimize conflict and best manage your property.

Depending upon the circumstances, certain assets that you or your spouse brought with you into your marriage could be on the table, too. Michigan law treats commingled “separate” assets similarly to “marital” assets in most cases.

Appreciation, renovations, mutual contributions to a business or professional practice, and other issues can also complicate high-net-worth property divisions; and, to make sure you leave your marriage with your fair share, it is critical to hire an experienced high-asset divorce lawyer.

For more than 30 years, Kraayeveld Family Law has represented clients throughout Grand Rapids and West Michigan in complex family law and high-asset divorce matters involving substantial financial holdings, business interests, and contested property division.

Get directions to our Grand Rapids High-Asset Divorce Law Firm

Decades of Experience in Protecting Spousal Rights for High Earners

At Kraayeveld Family Law, we bring decades of experience in representing spouses in high-net-worth divorces.

Why Clients Throughout West Michigan Trust Kraayeveld Family Law

  • More than 30 years serving Michigan families
  • Exclusive focus on divorce and family law
  • Experience handling complex high-net-worth divorce litigation
  • Trusted by clients throughout Grand Rapids and West Michigan
  • Strategic representation in negotiations and courtroom proceedings
  • Personalized legal guidance tailored to each family’s financial goals

Our legal team prepares every case as though it may proceed to trial, giving clients a strategic advantage during settlement negotiations and contested divorce litigation.

Our Grand Rapids high-net-worth divorce lawyers have the experience and are knowledgeable about the complex legal issues involved, and we are intimately familiar with the unique negotiating challenges that often force high-asset couples into litigation.

While we work with our clients to achieve amicable property settlements whenever possible – including using mediation when necessary – we are also aggressive divorce litigation attorneys who will not hesitate to fight for our clients’ desired property rights in court or during arbitration.

Unique Property-Related Issues in High-Asset Divorces

For high-net-worth couples, even determining which assets are on the table can be a significant challenge. Once you know what you need to protect, then you can begin the process of designing and executing a strategy to secure the property rights you desire.

We guide our high-net-worth clients through this entire process step-by-step, helping them assess their priorities, anticipate their spouses’ goals and work toward achieving a favorable outcome.

Some examples of the types of issues that can often lead to conflict in high-net-worth divorces include:

While divorcing spouses will often be on the same page with respect to certain assets that were primarily used by one spouse or the other, in high asset divorces a certain amount of conflict is inevitable.

Because our practice focuses exclusively on family law, our attorneys have extensive experience handling sophisticated divorce cases involving business valuations, investment portfolios, executive compensation, retirement accounts, and closely held companies.

We help our clients explore creative solutions, including or avoiding incorporating alimony provisions into their divorce judgments when necessary to reach an agreement, and we make clear that our clients will not back down when conflicts arise.

Splitting Retirement Funds

Pension benefits and retirement accounts like 401(k)s and 403(b)s are considered property for divorce purposes, but courts often grapple with complicated questions about how to handle them.  Whether these assets are considered separate or marital property and how they are divided often depends largely on the specific factual circumstances.

The portion of a pension earned during the course of a marriage is typically considered marital property. There are a number of ways to calculate the value of a pension, however.  That is why it is critical to consult an experienced divorce lawyer to ensure that the value is accurately calculated and property is fairly divided.

Similarly, money contributed to a retirement savings account—and any increase in the value of the investments—during a marriage are also subject to division among the spouses in the event of a divorce.

In cases where both spouses are working and have their own separate retirement savings, they may be allowed to keep those savings separate.  In other cases, a court may order one spouse to pay the other his or her interest in the retirement account as an offset. That can happen either at the time of the divorce or as pension benefits start coming in.

How do I Find High-Net-Worth Divorce Attorneys Near Me?

When searching for high-net-worth divorce attorneys near you, it is important to choose a law firm with extensive experience handling complex financial matters such as business valuations, executive compensation, investment portfolios, retirement accounts, and high-value property division.

An experienced attorney can help protect your assets, uncover hidden income or property, and develop a legal strategy tailored to your financial goals. Kraayeveld Family Law represents clients throughout Grand Rapids and West Michigan in complex high-asset divorce matters.

Speak With an Experienced Grand Rapids High-Asset Divorce Attorney

Founded by James W. Kraayeveld, the firm has built a reputation in West Michigan for handling challenging family law matters with professionalism, preparation, and personalized client service.

If you are preparing to go through a divorce in Grand Rapids, we encourage you to get in touch. To speak with one of our attorneys about your high-net-worth divorce, please call  (616) 383-2679  or contact us online.

We will schedule your confidential initial consultation as soon as possible. Our office is conveniently located at 990 Monroe Ave. NW Grand Rapids, MI 49503. Feel free to visit us for a case evaluation!