Quite often expert accountants are used by Florida divorce lawyers to assist in the representation of their clients who are going through the family law process. They are certainly not needed in every case, though.

If you have a marriage where there is a significant difference in the income of the two spouses and the spouse with the lower income needs permanent support, temporary support or even just help getting back into the job market, you may be headed for a dispute over alimony. If your marriage involves differences as to the ownership of all or a portion of a private business, you may be headed for a dispute over it's value. In both of these situations, it is sometimes more persuasive to the court for your expert divorce attorney to use a forensic accountant to give an opinion to the judge as to your standard of living or the value of the business.

Even if your lawyer has substantial experience in proving the marital standard of living and investigating the value of business, the lawyer can't be a witness in your divorce trial. It is often well worth the cost involved to hire an expert accountant to analyze the numbers involved in either situation and express an opinion to the court on those subjects. Your experienced divorce lawyer will know which accountants have appeared before, and are considered experts in their field by, your local judges. They will have worked together in the past and have a plan of attack for showing the judge the best evidence to support your position.

Bottom Line: It is sometimes in your best interest to have your Florida divorce lawyer bring in an accountant to help in supporting your case.

(copyright Stann Givens 2009)