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Review of Case Materials
Reviews records, documents, testimony, data, and other relevant materials and consults with counsel regarding technical issues related to the matter.
Provide Expert Analysis
Applies specialized knowledge and experience to evaluate the technical or professional issues involved.
Form Expert Opinions
Develops independent, supportable opinions based on the available evidence and relevant standards.
Prepare Expert Reports
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Complex financial records may require tracing of funds, reconstruction of transactions, analysis of income and cash flow, or investigation of discrepancies between financial disclosures and source documents. Bank statements, tax returns, general ledgers, brokerage activity, credit records, and business accounts can provide the transaction-level evidence needed for that work. AICPA family-law forensic accounting materials specifically address income and cash-flow analysis, undisclosed assets, tracing, valuation, and other financial issues encountered in divorce engagements. When this accounting analysis becomes the central assignment, separate forensic accounting expertise may be appropriate.
A closely held company, professional practice, partnership interest, or other private business interest may require valuation when its economic value is material to the dissolution. The analysis can involve financial statements, tax returns, ownership records, operating history, compensation, cash flow, industry information, and other data relevant to the business. Business valuation is a recognized specialty used in marital dissolution engagements. AICPA valuation resources specifically identify divorce and marital dissolution among the settings in which valuation professionals work. If determining the value of the business is the primary question, the retained Business Valuation Expertise is the clearer specialty.
Retirement accounts and pension benefits can represent significant assets, and their analysis may require plan statements, contribution histories, benefit calculations, beneficiary information, plan documents, and records establishing the relevant periods of participation. For ERISA-covered plans, a Qualified Domestic Relations Order can assign all or part of a participant's retirement benefits to an alternate payee when federal requirements are satisfied. The Department of Labor notes that retirement-plan division is often an important consideration in divorce and other domestic-relations proceedings, while the IRS explains that many plans require a QDRO before benefits can be paid to a former spouse.
Prepares clear, well-supported expert reports outlining methodology, analysis, findings, and opinions.
Provide Deposition Testimony
Explains findings and opinions under oath and responds to questioning during deposition testimony.
Testify in Court
Presents specialized findings and opinions clearly to judges, juries, arbitrators, or other decision-makers.
Two assets with similar current values can carry different tax histories or potential future tax consequences. Records showing acquisition cost, improvements, depreciation, prior transfers, and adjusted basis may therefore be relevant when an expert is examining the financial characteristics of property being discussed in a dissolution. Under current federal tax rules, a transfer of property between spouses, or between former spouses when incident to divorce, generally does not trigger recognized gain or loss, and the recipient generally takes the transferor's adjusted basis. The application of tax rules to a particular case may require separate Tax expertise.