Palm Beach Gardens High Net Worth Divorce Lawyer
Williams & Varsegi, LLC represents business owners, executives, physicians, and other professionals in Palm Beach Gardens and throughout Palm Beach County and Broward County who are ending marriages with significant assets on the line. When a Palm Beach Gardens high net worth divorce lawyer is involved, the case is rarely just about who keeps the house. It is about whether a closely held company gets valued fairly, whether deferred compensation is counted, and whether a spouse who controlled the finances has told the whole story.
Florida starts from a simple premise: marital assets and debts are presumed to be split equally unless there is a reason to depart from that. The fight, in a large estate, is over what counts as marital, what it is worth, and whether anything justifies an unequal split. That is where the money is won or lost, and it is why these cases are built around documents, experts, and careful classification long before anyone speaks to a judge.
Many of our clients in the Gardens come in with the same quiet worry: they do not actually know everything their spouse owns or earns. If that sounds familiar, the first conversation is usually about how to find out.
How Florida Splits a Large Marital Estate
The court begins by setting apart each spouse’s nonmarital assets and debts, then turns to the marital pot. From there, the starting point is an equal division, and any distribution, equal or not, has to be supported by written findings that identify the nonmarital assets, the marital assets with individual values for the significant ones, and the marital liabilities. In a high-value case, those findings are where the real work shows up. A judge cannot value what was never proven.
Timing matters too. The date used to decide what is marital is the earliest of the date the spouses signed a valid separation agreement, any other date that agreement sets, or the filing of the dissolution petition. Assets and debts acquired after that point generally fall outside the marital estate. If you are thinking about filing, the date you file can shape what is on the table.
The Legislature also amended the equitable distribution statute in 2024 on how certain assets are defined, including the marital interest in a closely held business and gifts of real property between spouses. For anyone who owns a company or whose spouse received a home from them (or vice versa), those definitions can change the math, so they deserve a close look in your specific facts.
Why Choose Williams & Varsegi, LLC for a High Net Worth Divorce
Williams & Varsegi, LLC is a boutique firm that practices exclusively in divorce and family law, with over twenty years of experience serving clients across Palm Beach County and Broward County, including Palm Beach Gardens, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Parkland, and Coral Springs. The firm handles everything from high-net worth, high-conflict cases to uncontested and simplified matters, which means the attorneys are comfortable moving between a quiet settlement and a contested trial depending on what your situation calls for.
For a high net worth divorce, that focus matters in practical ways. The firm has extensive courtroom experience, works with forensic accountants, business valuators, and other experts when the numbers demand it, and is made up of skilled negotiators and experienced litigators. Clients work directly with experienced attorneys who know their case rather than being handed off. Emerald Williams, Lawyer, and Katie lead that work, and clients consistently describe the team as responsive and knowledgeable. One client wrote that Katie made a process that lasted more than three years feel smoother and less anxious, and another said Emerald kept every promise she made at the first consultation. The firm carries a 5-Star Rating from its clients.
The firm also regularly handles divorces involving physicians, federal employees, and police and fire personnel, where pensions, benefits, and professional licenses add layers that a general practice may not deal with often.
Where the Disputes Usually Arise in a High-Asset Divorce
- Closely Held Business Interests: Whether a company is marital, nonmarital, or a mix depends on when it was started, how it grew, and who worked in it. Valuation usually requires a business valuator, and the 2024 statutory changes affect how the marital interest is defined.
- Executive Compensation: Stock options, restricted stock units, deferred compensation, and performance bonuses raise questions about when they vested, what portion was earned during the marriage, and how to account for future value.
- Real Estate Holdings: South Florida homes and investment properties have grown in value, so the family residence is often one of the largest assets. The choice among selling, buying out a spouse, or deferring a sale until children are grown has real tax and cash-flow consequences.
- Premarital and Postnuptial Agreements: A premarital agreement must be in writing and signed by both spouses, and it does not need consideration beyond the marriage itself. It can be challenged if it was not signed voluntarily, was the product of fraud, duress, coercion, or overreaching, or was unconscionable when signed and the challenger did not receive fair disclosure of the other’s finances. It also cannot reduce a child’s right to support.
- Alimony Claims: Florida no longer awards permanent alimony. The available forms are temporary, bridge-the-gap, rehabilitative, and durational, and in a long marriage with a large income gap, the length and amount become a major point of negotiation.
- Child Support Above the Guidelines: When combined monthly net income exceeds the top of the guideline schedule, support is the schedule’s top figure plus a set percentage of the income above it, with the percentage rising as the number of children rises.
- Hidden or Dissipated Assets: Complete financial disclosure is mandatory, and forensic accounting is often how undisclosed accounts, transfers, or inflated expenses come to light.
- Time-Sharing and Relocation: Florida now presumes equal time-sharing is in a child’s best interests, subject to rebuttal, and a move of at least 50 miles lasting 60 days or more triggers the relocation statute.
What to Do Before and After You File
If you are considering divorce and have significant assets, the first thing worth doing is gathering paperwork quietly and completely. That means several years of tax returns, business financial statements, brokerage and retirement account statements, equity award agreements, deeds, loan applications, insurance policies, and any premarital or postnuptial agreement. Loan applications are an underrated source because people tend to be careful about what they list as income and net worth when they want to borrow. Keep copies somewhere your spouse cannot reach, and do not take anything that is not yours to take or delete anything from shared accounts.
Residency comes first. At least one spouse must have lived in Florida for six months before filing. Florida is a no-fault state, so you only need to assert that the marriage is irretrievably broken; the only other ground is a spouse’s mental incapacity, which requires an adjudication that has lasted at least three years. No final judgment can be entered until 20 days have passed after the petition is filed, though a court can shorten that if injustice would result from waiting. In a contested high-asset case, that minimum is almost beside the point, because discovery and valuation take far longer.
In Palm Beach County, family cases are heard in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit’s Family Court. Palm Beach Gardens residents can file at the North County Courthouse in Palm Beach Gardens, which accepts new family cases, while the main courthouse is in West Palm Beach and a South County courthouse sits in Delray Beach. Broward cases fall under the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit. Appeals from both circuits go to the Fourth District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach.
Avoid the mistakes that cost people the most: moving money or retitling assets without advice, making large purchases that look like dissipation, signing a settlement before the business and compensation have been valued, and posting about the case online. If there is any concern about safety, a domestic violence injunction can be sought even while a divorce is pending, and a temporary ex parte injunction lasts up to 15 days until a full hearing.
Valuation, Experts, and Paying Attention to the Details
A large estate is only as strong as its numbers. We work with forensic accountants to trace funds and test whether a spouse’s reported income matches lifestyle and spending, and with business valuators to assess companies and professional practices. The method of valuation can swing a figure dramatically, and so can decisions about whether personal goodwill is counted. Retirement and pension assets, including those held by federal employees and police and fire personnel, often need separate handling and the right kind of order to divide them.
Alimony, too, runs through a formula that experienced lawyers know to test. Marriage length runs from the wedding date to the date the dissolution action is filed. A marriage under 10 years is presumptively short-term, 10 to 20 years is moderate-term, and 20 years or more is long-term. Durational alimony cannot be awarded after a marriage under three years, and it cannot last longer than 50% of a short marriage, 60% of a moderate one, or 75% of a long one. Monthly alimony cannot exceed the lesser of the recipient’s reasonable need or 35% of the difference between the spouses’ net incomes. A court may also consider adultery and any economic impact it caused.
Palm Beach Gardens High Net Worth Divorce Questions
How is a business divided in a Florida divorce?
The court first decides whether the business, or part of it, is marital or nonmarital, then values it. A company started before the marriage may still have a marital component if its growth came from marital effort or funds. Because the 2024 amendments changed how the marital interest in a closely held business is defined, the outcome depends heavily on the current statute and your specific facts.
Does Florida split everything 50/50?
Florida begins with the presumption that marital assets and debts should be divided equally. A court can depart from that if there is justification, and it must explain its reasoning in written findings. Nonmarital assets are set apart first and generally stay with the spouse who owns them.
How long does a high net worth divorce take?
There is a 20-day minimum after filing, but contested cases involving businesses, multiple properties, and expert valuations commonly take a year or more. Cases settle faster when both sides exchange complete disclosure early and agree on valuation methods.
Can my spouse hide assets from me?
They can try, but financial disclosure is mandatory in Florida, and hiding assets can lead to serious penalties. Forensic accountants, subpoenas to banks and employers, and depositions are the usual tools for finding what was not disclosed.
Is permanent alimony still available?
No. Florida eliminated permanent alimony for cases filed after July 1, 2023. Existing permanent awards from before that date remain in place but can be modified. New cases are limited to temporary, bridge-the-gap, rehabilitative, and durational alimony.
What alimony can I expect in a long marriage?
It depends on need, ability to pay, and the statutory caps. Bridge-the-gap alimony is limited to two years, rehabilitative alimony to five years, and durational alimony to a percentage of the marriage’s length. The monthly figure cannot exceed the lesser of the recipient’s reasonable need or 35% of the difference in net incomes.
Will my prenuptial agreement hold up?
Often, but not always. A premarital agreement must be in writing and signed by both spouses. It can be set aside if it was not voluntary, resulted from fraud, duress, coercion, or overreaching, or was unconscionable and there was no fair disclosure of finances. Provisions affecting a child’s right to support are not enforceable against the child.
How is child support figured when we earn a lot?
Florida’s guidelines schedule has a ceiling. Above it, support is the top schedule amount plus a percentage of the combined net income over that ceiling: 5.0% for one child, 7.5% for two, 9.5% for three, 11.0% for four, 12.0% for five, and 12.5% for six. A court can deviate from the guideline amount, but it must make written findings if the departure exceeds five percent.
Can I move away with the kids during the divorce?
If the move is at least 50 miles and lasts 60 consecutive days or more, the relocation statute applies, and you generally need either the other parent’s written agreement or court approval. A parent who objects must file a written response within 20 days of being served with the petition. Temporary hearings and trial deadlines are short under the statute.
Does the date I file matter for my assets?
Yes. Marital classification ends at the earliest of a valid separation agreement date, any other date that agreement sets, or the filing of the petition. Income and property acquired afterward are usually treated differently, so timing is a strategic decision.
Is mediation required, and can a collaborative approach work with large assets?
Florida courts commonly require mediation before trial, and many cases settle there. Collaborative divorce can also work well when both spouses are willing to share information openly, often with financial specialists and a divorce coach, and it keeps decisions in your hands rather than a judge’s.
Serving High Net Worth Divorce Clients Across Palm Beach and Broward Counties
We start with Palm Beach Gardens and the surrounding communities of northern Palm Beach County, including Juno Beach, Jupiter, Tequesta, North Palm Beach, Lake Park, Riviera Beach, and West Palm Beach. Moving south, our team also serves families in Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, Lake Worth Beach, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, and the surrounding neighborhoods of the county’s coastal and western communities.
In Broward County, we represent clients in Parkland, Coral Springs, and throughout the communities of South Florida. Wherever you live, we tailor the approach to the assets, the family, and the court that will hear your case.
Speak With a Palm Beach Gardens High Net Worth Divorce Attorney
If you are weighing a divorce and want to understand what your marital estate looks like, what a business or compensation package might be worth, and how Florida’s alimony and support rules would apply to you, a conversation with a Palm Beach Gardens high net worth divorce attorney at Williams & Varsegi, LLC is a good place to begin. Call the firm to schedule a consultation and talk through your situation with an attorney who will know your case.
