High net worth divorces involve more than emotion—they involve complex assets, business interests, and significant financial implications. We provide strategic legal counsel to protect your interests, preserve value, and help you transition with strength and clarity.
Flatiron Legal Advisors represents Colorado spouses whose divorces involve significant or complex assets, including business owners, executives, medical and other professionals, and families with real estate, investment, or inherited wealth. Divorce cases are filed in the Colorado district court for the county where either spouse lives. When the marital estate is large or hard to value, disputes over what is marital property, what it is worth, and how support should be set can stretch a divorce out for months and raise its cost. Our attorneys help you resolve these issues through negotiation, divorce mediation, or litigation when an agreement is not possible. A confidential consultation is the first step.
We help you:
Under C.R.S. § 14-10-113 (Title 14, Colorado Revised Statutes), the court first sets aside each spouse’s separate property, then divides the marital property in a fair proportion. Separate property generally includes property owned before the marriage, gifts and inheritances received by one spouse, and property excluded by a valid prenuptial or postnuptial agreement.
Separate property can still affect the outcome. Any increase in the value of separate property during the marriage is generally treated as marital property. Separate funds that are mixed with marital funds can also become difficult to trace. Learn more about protecting inherited assets in a Colorado divorce.
High-net-worth divorces commonly involve:
Each spouse must exchange detailed financial information under Colorado’s mandatory disclosure rule, C.R.C.P. 16.2. When a spouse does not disclose a material asset, the court keeps authority to divide it for five years after the decree. When records are incomplete or a spouse controls the family finances, a forensic accountant can help trace income and assets. Read more about finding hidden offshore accounts in a Colorado divorce.
Spousal maintenance. Colorado’s advisory maintenance guideline applies only when the spouses’ combined annual adjusted gross income is $240,000 or less (C.R.S. § 14-10-114). Above that level, the court sets maintenance based on the statutory factors, such as each spouse’s income, the length of the marriage, the marital standard of living, and each spouse’s ability to support themselves.
Child support. Colorado’s child support schedule covers combined parental income up to a set monthly level. When income is higher, the court has discretion in setting support based on the children’s needs and the parents’ resources (C.R.S. § 14-10-115). See how child support is modified in high-income Colorado cases.
Many high-asset cases settle once both spouses have complete financial disclosures and agreed valuations. A written separation agreement then goes to the court for approval.
Mediation can work well in high-asset cases when both spouses are willing to share complete information. It is private and gives you more control over the outcome. Learn more about our Colorado divorce mediation services and read Should You Use Mediation for High-Net-Worth Divorce in Colorado?
When spouses cannot agree on what assets are worth or how to divide them, a judge decides after a hearing. Litigation in high-asset cases often involves expert witnesses, such as business valuators, appraisers, and forensic accountants.
A valid marital agreement can decide many property and maintenance issues in advance. If you have one, we review whether and how it applies. Learn more about our Colorado prenuptial and postnuptial agreement services.
High-income families often face added questions about travel schedules, private school, extracurricular costs, and how parenting time fits around demanding careers. Our Colorado child custody and parenting time lawyers can help you build a parenting plan that works for your family.
A divorce automatically revokes many gifts and appointments to a former spouse under a will, but not every account or document. Beneficiary designations, trusts, business succession documents, and powers of attorney should all be reviewed. Our Colorado estate planning lawyers can help you update your plan once your divorce is final.
Divorce and family law matters are usually billed by the hour. High-net-worth cases often cost more than a standard divorce because they involve more financial records, more negotiation, and outside experts.
Common cost elements include:
In some cases, a Colorado court can order one spouse to contribute to the other’s attorney fees and costs based on their financial resources (C.R.S. § 14-10-119).
Colorado requires at least 91 days after the responding spouse is served or joins the case before a divorce can be finalized (C.R.S. § 14-10-106). Beyond that minimum, timing depends on how quickly financial disclosures are completed, whether experts are needed, and whether the spouses can agree. Cases that require business valuations or tracing usually take longer than a standard divorce, and contested cases can take a year or more.
Flatiron Legal Advisors represents Colorado spouses in high-asset divorces, including:
We serve clients throughout Colorado, with offices available by appointment in Denver, Boulder, and Colorado Springs. Virtual consultations are also available.
Christopher W. Fry works with Flatiron Legal Advisors on Colorado family law matters, including high-asset divorce and prenuptial and postnuptial agreements.
Kara C. Martin, a former 18th Judicial District Court magistrate, works with Flatiron Legal Advisors on Colorado family law matters, including high-asset divorce, and offers full and unbundled services.
Dave Rich, founder and managing attorney of Flatiron Legal Advisors, is a certified mediator who helps spouses resolve divorce issues outside of court.
If your divorce involves a business, significant investments, or other complex assets, we can help you understand your options and plan your next step. Schedule a confidential consultation.
No. Colorado divides marital property equitably, which means fairly. An equitable division is often close to equal, but the court can divide property differently based on the statutory factors.
It depends on when and how the business was acquired or grown. A business started during the marriage is generally marital. A business owned before the marriage is generally separate, but any increase in its value during the marriage is generally marital.
An inheritance received by one spouse is generally separate property. However, any increase in its value during the marriage is generally marital, and inherited funds mixed into joint accounts can be harder to protect.
The court looks at when the awards were granted, when they vest, and what they were meant to reward. Some awards may be partly marital and partly separate.
When combined annual adjusted gross income is above $240,000, Colorado’s advisory guideline does not apply. The court sets maintenance by weighing the statutory factors.
Tell your attorney early. Colorado’s disclosure rule requires full financial disclosure, and the court can divide assets discovered up to five years after the decree.
Financial documents exchanged during disclosure are generally not filed with the court, and mediation communications are generally confidential. Some financial information still ends up in court filings, so talk with your attorney about options for protecting sensitive information.
