Practice Areas

Division of Marital Property

Santa Clara, California Property Division Lawyer

Division of marital property in the state of California is based on what the court considers an "equitable division" of commonly held assets earned after the beginning of a marriage. As a result, if you or your spouse bought a home, pension plan, or business into a marriage, the amount of appreciation earned is susceptible to division if community funds contributed to them in any way. At the law office of Thomas E. Bouman, Attorney at Law, we evaluate your financial situation to determine what assets are subject to division, how they will likely be divided, and what you can do to avoid being saddled with a disproportionate amount of debt. As your lawyer, Mr. Bouman consults accountants, tax experts, and other financial professionals to make sure the amount of assets claimed as communal is accurate and fairly evaluated.

Don't be misled or intimidated by your ex-spouse's attorney - contact Thomas E. Bouman today and protect your rights and interests in the division of marital property.

Division of Marital Property - Issues that Arise

Divorce attorney Thomas E. Bouman represents clients in regard to the following kinds of division of marital property issues:

• Moore-Marsden divisions of homes
• Qualified domestic relations orders
• Divisions of pension plans, 401ks, etc.
• Evaluations of closely held businesses

Division of Marital Debt

An important component of any divorce and division of marital property is the division of debt. While any commonly held loans or credit lines are subject to division at the time of divorce, couples often run into problems when one spouse is alleged to have been the sole borrower on a loan or line of credit. For example, a jointly held credit card may have only been used by your spouse; now, at the time of divorce, there are thousands of dollars on it, even though you never used it.

While the general rule is both parties are responsible for any jointly held accounts or lines of credit, it may be possible to negotiate a settlement that allows you to accept responsibility for debt in exchange for something else. As your lawyer, Mr. Bouman proposes means for equitably sharing debt that doesn't leave clients saddled with an undue portion of loans or credit card debt that is not theirs.

Contact Divorce Lawyer Thomas E. Bouman Today

The division of marital property can be complicated and confusing. Our office can help you avoid confusion and unwanted difficulties. To schedule an appointment and discuss how we can help you, contact the law office of Thomas E. Bouman today.