This list could easily be 300 Signs It’s Time to Find a Spousal Support Lawyer. (Or alimony attorney depending upon when you were born.) But we’ve narrowed it down to the stories we hear most often from our legal rights in spousal support cases.
This is what we do. Most people, lawyers included, don’t do all things equally well. At Laughlin Legal, we are especially good at divorces that are variously described as complex, high asset, high net worth, and ultra high net worth. What they all have in common is they require a high level of financial sophistication and finesse. This is an area where we kill it.
Amy Laughlin, Founder and Managing Partner of Laughlin Legal in San Mateo has provided lots of spousal support legal advice and heard plenty about suspected hidden assets from her clients. “Typically, in divorce law, we identify what is called an in-spouse and an out-spouse. The in-spouse is very often the person who’s managing the finances. it’s frequently the spouse with the higher income or higher assets or both. ‘They’re good at it,’ I hear from the out-spouse all the time. The out-spouse is often a stay at home parent who’s focused on raising their children, or they’re an artist or philanthropist who isn’t expected to contribute much. It’s very common for the out-spouse to suspect that their in-spouse is hiding assets. Sometimes they’re right. Sometimes they’re wrong. But it is very difficult to hide assets from me. Securities litigation was great training. I know my way around private equity and high asset divorce. There’s a small fraction of family law practices where the folks are experts in this area, and we’re one of them.”
What’s the saying? “There are 8 million stories in the naked city.” See if you can find yours among these.
Signs It’s Time to Find a Spousal Support Lawyer: You’ve decided to end your marriage, and…
- You and your spouse can’t spend 3 minutes in a room without having a heated argument.
- Your spouse used to deposit their earnings in the joint account but just started depositing them in an individual account.
- You no longer want to share the joint account because your spouse is spending more than their half.
- There’s a gross disparity between your income and your spouse’s income.
- You believe your spouse is having an affair and spending community funds on the other person.
- Your spouse has a drug habit.
- Your spouse has a gambling habit.
- Your spouse doesn’t mind fudging the truth.
- Your spouse changed the password for your joint accounts without telling you.
- You suddenly can’t find your jewelry box.
- When asked about the sizable drop in the balance on a joint account, your spouse attributes it to bad investments.
- When asked about the sizable drop in the balance on a joint account, your spouse attributes it to a loan to a sister.
- You overheard your spouse talking about a job promotion, but when asked about it? Denied.
- Your spouse claims to have had an inexplicable cut in pay.
- Your spouse is almost never home.
- Suddenly your bank statements are no longer being mailed. What the?
- Your spouse has always controlled the money, the investments, the returns and is defensive when asked to explain.
- You just lost your job.
- Your spouse asks for your signature but is suddenly irritable or in a hurry when you want to read the document first. Uh oh.
- You found out your spouse owns real estate he never told you about.
- Your spouse is suddenly in a hurry to move out.
- Your spouse has a lot of debt.
- Your spouse constantly grumbles about the cost of your firstborn’s orthotics/braces/special diet/daycare/education…
- You or your child were just diagnosed with a costly illness.
- Your spouse is simply cheap.
- Your spouse’s mom doesn’t have the best opinion of your spouse. Ouch.
- Your spouse is proud of successfully cheating on tax returns. Double ouch.
- Your spouse suddenly loves you madly and will not consent to a divorce.
- Your kids saw your spouse multiple times driving around in a mysterious convertible sportscar.
- The divorce lawyer for spousal support you hired hasn’t filed for spousal support!
So what did we miss? Email us with your hidden asset entry. We’d love to keep you safe from theft, especially theft by spouse.
Amy Laughlin again, “It’s a numbers thing. For me, I love numbers so I look for these cases. I want these cases, I prefer them. I love when I can just delve into some really complex financials and outwit the other side. And I know I will!!”
Need legal help for spousal support abuse? Especially spousal support court representation? Or legal assistance for alimony agreements? Let’s talk.
If you or someone you love is headed for divorce, learn more about how we can keep you safe while representing you and your values. Call us now at 650.343.3486 to schedule a consultation with a Laughlin Legal spousal support lawyer. If you’d prefer, you can email us to set up your appointment. If we miss your call, we will respond promptly and call you back as soon as possible.
Laughlin Legal Family Law Group
You’ve never been better protected.
