Divorce in New York where the stakes are highest. Michel Law represents individuals with substantial marital estates — business interests, trusts, retirement and deferred compensation, real estate holdings, and investment portfolios — through contested divorce, equitable distribution, custody, and spousal maintenance. New York is an equitable distribution state: assets are divided fairly, not equally, and sophisticated representation at the front end determines what the record looks like at trial. These insights address what shapes outcomes in high-net-worth matrimonial matters — business valuation, hidden assets, trust-based planning, prenuptial agreements, forensic accounting, and the practical realities of litigation in Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, Kings, Bronx, and Westchester county matrimonial courts.
New York courts impute income in divorce where reported earnings understate reality. The statutory basis, the Second Department standard, and the record.
DRL § 237 creates a rebuttable presumption that the less-moneyed spouse recovers counsel fees from the moneyed spouse. The pleading posture, interim and final awards, and the dilatory-conduct record that drives award amounts up.
DeJesus v. DeJesus governs how unvested RSUs, stock options, and deferred equity are divided in a New York divorce. The time-rule framework and what it means for executive and tech-finance spouses.
A New York co-op is personal property, not real estate, and divides differently in divorce. Proprietary lease, board approval, valuation discounts, and buyout mechanics for HNW matrimonial practice.
Transfers made in the months before filing a Summons with Notice become evidence at trial under DRL § 236(B). Nassau judges enforce it.
The DRL § 236(B)(6) income cap on New York spousal maintenance limits the guideline formula; it does not limit the court's authority to order more. A litigator's breakdown.
How forensic accounting uncovers hidden assets in New York high-net-worth divorce. Common concealment patterns, investigative techniques, and legal remedies.
Equitable distribution in a New York divorce does not mean a 50/50 split. A guide to how marital property is actually divided and what factors drive the outcome.
Are trusts protected in a New York divorce? It depends on who created the trust, when, and how it was funded. A guide for high-net-worth spouses.
How is a business valued in a New York divorce? An overview of valuation methods, the active/passive distinction, and what business owners need to know.
How spousal maintenance is calculated in high-income New York divorces, how the income cap works, and what factors drive deviations from the statutory formula.