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- Business Appraisers
- A business or a professional practice such as a law or medical practice may be an asset of the community which needs to be valued and divided in the divorce. A qualified business appraiser can place a value on these types of assets. Appraisers are sometimes hired jointly by the parties to attempt to resolve the business value by agreement or mediation, and are sometimes individually retained by the parties. You should interview appraisers suggested by your attorney to find one you believe fits your situation.
- CPAs and Accountants
- A divorce will probably result in changes in your tax filing procedures and tax liabilities, and a professional should always be consulted about those changes and how the divorce will affect you financially.
- Financial Planning
- After a divorce, you may need a professional money manager to help you invest funds, plan for your retirement, and transfer pension or 401-K benefits to your own account for future investment.
- Forensic Accountant
- A forensic accountant may be hired by a party who wants the community financial transactions analyzed. If allegations are made that money is missing or has been wasted or dissipated for non-community purposes, a forensic accountant can review records and try to trace spending.
- Parenting Coordinator
- A Parenting Coordinator (I call them PC's) is appointed in some but not all custody cases, after a custody and parenting time order is entered. The PC's role is to help the parties implement and interpret their parenting plan, and to help with enforcement when necessary. The PC does not enter or modify custody orders but can make recommendations to the Judge about certain aspects of the custody order, if the parties can't agree. For example, if a parenting time order simply says that Father shall have the children until Tuesday evening, but doesn't specify a time, and the parties can't agree on a time, the PC might make a recommendation to the Judge about a return time which should be used.
PCs are either mental health professionals or attorneys and are almost always in private practice, which means they don't work for the court system and are paid by the parties. For custody cases where the parties have made repeated trips back to court to have their custody plan interpreted ("high conflict" cases), however, having and paying a PC may be more economical for the parties than paying their lawyers for repeated court visits.
Another benefit of having a PC is that access to the PC is generally much faster than access to a judge, so issues which are time-sensitive can often be resolved with the help of a PC.
- Personal Property Appraisers
- If the parties can't agree on the value of personal property (furnishings, artwork, collections, and the like), these items may need to be appraised by a professional before they can be awarded.
- Real Estate Agents
- A divorce will often result in the sale of a residence or other real property, and a good real estate agent or broker can help you through this difficult process.
- Real Estate Appraisers
- If the parties can't agree on the value of real property, an appraiser may need to set the value to determine how the property will be awarded.
- Therapeutic Interventionists
- If a child's relationship with one parent has been interrupted or damaged, particularly by a long period of time with no contact, the court may appoint a therapeutic interventionist (TI). The TI is a mental health professional who will work with parent and child to restore the relationship. The therapeutic interventionist should not be an individual therapist for either the parent or the child individually.
- Therapists-child counseling
- A qualified counselor can provide therapy to children of most ages, to help them understand the process and to provide a safe haven for them to discuss their own concerns.
- Therapists-marriage counseling
- If marriage counseling has not already been attempted before you seek legal advice about a divorce, it should certainly be considered before taking that final step.
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