Bloomfield Hills High Asset Divorce Lawyer

High Asset Divorce Lawyer Bloomfield Hills, MI

If you are going through a divorce with high-assets in Bloomfield Hills, the decisions you make during this process can affect your financial future. Our Bloomfield Hills, MI high asset divorce lawyer understands your concerns when a marital estate includes assets you want to protect. We believe that your assets deserve wise handling to ensure nothing is overlooked or undervalued. At Merel Family Law, we have the experience needed to handle divorces of various financial statures, including those with high-assets. Contact us today to discuss your case further.

Why Choose Merel Family Law for High Asset Divorce in Bloomfield Hills, MI?

Jonathan Merel’s Admitted in Michigan

Merel Family Law has spent over two decades handling family law matters across Illinois and Michigan. When it comes to high-net-worth divorce in Bloomfield Hills, our attorneys understand what’s actually at risk and what it takes to protect it. This isn’t the kind of work where generalist experience is enough.

Jonathan Merel is licensed to practice in Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin. He founded the firm and has been at the helm of its growth into a multi-attorney practice, handling some of the most complex family law matters in the Midwest. Jonathan’s background spans the full range of high-net-worth dissolution cases, including those involving business ownership, significant retirement assets, and contested property division. If your divorce involves real financial complexity, you want someone who has navigated this terrain before.

Proven Results in Complex Divorce Cases

Our attorneys have helped clients recover millions of dollars in high-asset divorce settlements across Michigan and Illinois. Our results come from methodical case preparation, use of forensic financial professionals when needed, and attorneys who understand how to identify, value, and argue for an equitable share of complicated marital estates.

When a spouse has obscured income, undervalued a business, or shifted assets ahead of filing, our attorneys know how to respond to these actions. Discovery can make a difference in these cases, along with knowing when and how to negotiate.

Depth of Family Law Experience

The attorneys at Merel Family Law bring a combined 221 years of family law experience. As a family lawyer in Bloomfield Hills, MI, we handle the full spectrum of Michigan family law matters, which means our attorneys understand how property division connects to spousal support, how custody affects financial settlements, and how each element of the case factors into the outcome.

Recognition and Professional Standing

Jonathan Merel is a member of the American Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, and the Chicago Bar Association. Merel Family Law has been featured in Business Insider, AP News, Yahoo Finance, and other outlets for its approach to client-focused legal service, including being recognized for introducing in-house divorce coaching. That kind of structure reflects a commitment to clients that goes beyond just legal filings.

What Our Clients Say

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“I cannot begin with this Firm.. Headline- FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE. Divorced and happy. my experience started when I had a phone call with the founder, Jonathan Merel. I cried during that conversation, and despite all the clients he’s had over the years, he received my tears with understanding and empathy. I decided to trust him and become a client.” — keri Lindsay

Read more reviews on our Google Business Profile.

Types of High Asset Divorce Cases We Handle in Bloomfield Hills

High-net-worth divorces rarely involve just one issue, especially the amount of assets is substantial. The cases we handle in Bloomfield Hills typically involve multiple intersecting financial and legal questions. Here is what we have worked on before.

• High net worth divorce. When one or both spouses have significant accumulated wealth, every aspect of the case carries financial consequences. We handle divorces with multi-property real estate holdings, investment portfolios, deferred compensation, and more.

• Property division. Michigan follows an equitable distribution framework, which means what’s “fair” isn’t always equal, and outcomes depend heavily on how well the case is prepared. We work to identify all marital assets and fight for a result that reflects your actual contribution.

• Spousal support. Alimony can involve significant long-term financial exposure. We handle both establishing and contesting maintenance awards, and understand how income, lifestyle, and asset division all interact.

• Business owner divorce. When one or both spouses own a business, valuation becomes one of the most contested issues in the case. We address business appraisals, active versus passive appreciation, and dividing business assets in a Michigan divorce.
• Child custody and pet custody. Our team can discuss with you the factors involved with child custody verdicts, how to maintain a relationship with your children during and after divorce, and who gets to keep the family pets.

• LGBTQ divorce. We represent LGBTQ clients in dissolution proceedings, including matters that involve property accumulated over long-term relationships, complex asset structures, and parenting arrangements.

• Domestic violence. Divorces involving domestic violence require an attorney who understands both the legal and personal dimensions. Safety and legal protection go together, and we know how to handle both variables urgently.

Michigan Legal Requirements for High Asset Divorce

Michigan is an equitable distribution state, which means marital property is divided fairly but not necessarily equally. Under MCL 552.19, Michigan courts have broad discretion in dividing property and are directed to consider factors including the length of the marriage, each spouse’s contributions to the marital estate, and each party’s economic circumstances going forward.

Not all property is categorized as marital. Separate property, meaning assets one spouse owned before marriage or received as a gift or inheritance during the marriage, is generally not subject to division. But this distinction gets complicated, as separate property that became commingled with marital funds or that the other spouse contributed to in a meaningful way, can lose its protected status under Michigan case law.

Michigan also requires at least one spouse to have lived in the state for 180 days and in the county for 10 days before filing. Per MCL 552.9, the filing county must be the residence of the plaintiff. Understanding these requirements before you file matters, especially if your situation involves any jurisdictional complexity.

Important Aspects of a Bloomfield Hills High Asset Divorce Case

High-net-worth divorces in Bloomfield Hills involve issues that simply don’t arise in less complex cases. Here is information we want our clients to be informed about as their high-asset divorce proceeds. For further advice regarding your individual situation, contact us today.

Asset Identification and Disclosure

Before anything can be divided, all assets have to be located. Michigan divorce requires full financial disclosure, but that doesn’t mean the other side always complies. Hidden accounts, underreported income, and pre-filing transfers are real issues in these cases. Our attorneys use the discovery process, including subpoenas, depositions, and forensic accountants, to build a complete list. We can discuss with you the financial records needed for divorce and what documentation matters most.

Business Valuation

If you or your spouse owns a business, that business is likely one of the most valuable assets in the marriage. However, this also means it may be highly contested. Michigan courts use various valuation methods, and the numbers can vary dramatically depending on who’s doing the analysis. We work with qualified business appraisers to support valuations that are realistic and of true value. Rushing a high-asset divorce when business interests are involved can cost significantly.

Executive Compensation and Stock

RSUs, stock options, bonuses, and deferred compensation packages are common in Bloomfield Hills cases given the concentration of corporate and executive professionals in the area. Some of these assets are marital, while others are not. How they are categorized depends on timing, vesting schedules, and compensation structure. Our attorneys understand how to analyze and argue these distinctions.

Retirement Accounts and QDROs

Retirement accounts are typically among the largest marital assets, and dividing them requires careful handling. A Qualified Domestic Relations Order, or QDRO, is necessary to divide most employer-sponsored plans without triggering taxes or penalties. Getting this wrong has real financial consequences, so our attorneys address retirement account division as a core part of every high-net-worth case.

Marital vs. Non-Marital Property

In cases involving inheritances, trusts, family money, or pre-marital assets, the marital versus non-marital distinction is often disputed. Michigan courts look at how assets were titled, whether they were commingled, and whether the other spouse contributed to their growth. We can address what happens to inheritances and family money in Michigan divorces in further detail. The marital vs. non-marital property framework is one of the most consequential areas of any complex case.

Contact Merel Family Law

A high-asset divorce in Bloomfield Hills, MI requires careful preparation and attorneys who understand how to protect what’s at stake. We bring 221 years of combined family law experience to every divorce case we represent. Contact us to schedule a consultation and learn more about how we can help with your high-asset divorce.