As a medical professional starting the process of divorcing your spouse, you probably have several questions about how divorce proceedings can affect your medical practice. At Holstrom Divorce Authority, you can find an experienced doctor’s divorce lawyer in California. We proudly serve medical professionals in Orange, San Diego, and Riverside counties.

California is a community property state, meaning the courts divide marital property evenly between divorcing spouses. In the instance of a medical practice, which requires a medical license to operate, the physician spouse might have to make other concessions for the non-physician spouse’s share if the court determines that the practice is marital property in whole or in part.

The court also considers the difference in income between spouses when determining whether to award spousal support (also called “alimony” or “maintenance”). If you and your spouse didn’t sign a prenuptial agreement that outlined spousal support, the court tries to maintain your spouse’s standard of living after the divorce by awarding spousal support.

If you opened your medical practice prior to marriage, your practice is likely separate property. However, physicians that open their medical practices after marriage might have to pay their spouses for their portion of the business evaluation to buy them out based on any of their contributions to the practice.

Additionally, a court might determine that any increase in value after the marriage could qualify for division as marital property in a practice started before the marriage. Factors that could influence such a distribution include whether the non-physician spouse gave up their career or other opportunities to maintain the household or raise children.

A doctor’s divorce lawyer in California from our firm can help you determine what share your spouse might have contributed to your practice.

Spousal support is a tool to help a lower-earning spouse maintain their standard of living after a divorce, particularly if that spouse became a stay-at-home parent or reduced their role at work to help maintain the home.

If your spouse only works part-time or hasn’t worked in a high-earning career in years, the difference in income when they suddenly have to support themselves after a divorce could lead to a dramatic decrease in lifestyle.

In theory, spousal support should keep them comfortable until they establish themselves in a new career, finish a new degree program and enter the workforce, or remarry. However, the court could single out your high income as a doctor and make you pay more in spousal support than your spouse needs to maintain their lifestyle. Working with a divorce lawyer for doctors with experience in California divorce law can help ensure your divorce agreement is fair to you.

When you need a doctor’s divorce lawyer in California, turn to the experienced divorce attorneys here at Holstrom Divorce Authority. Proudly serving doctors in Riverside, San Diego, and Orange Counties, we can help you navigate complex divorce proceedings. Call us today at (844) 237-5791 or contact us online to schedule a consultation.