Lessons from celebrity divorces

Texans who are planning to divorce may want to look at what happened with a few different celebrity breakups, as they each have lessons from which people can learn. While most attorneys may recommend against people taking advice from friends or family members regarding their divorce cases, there are still some commonalities that may apply.

In the case of Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, the couple separated one day after they had been married for 10 years. The important thing about the timing of their divorce is that reaching the 10-year milestone is required for such things as eligibility for Social Security benefits based on a higher-earning spouse’s income. In some states it may allow people to receive alimony for a longer duration.

Another interesting divorce case was that of Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore. In that case, the couple famously battled over intellectual property rights. People in a high-asset divorce and who own intellectual property should expect that asset to be subject to division. Bethenny Frankel and Jason Hoppy’s divorce was fought very bitterly and publicly with both refusing to move out of their New York residence. While media sources attributed this to the idea that neither wanted to lose the residence in their divorce, it would be subject to division anyway if it had been purchased with marital funds.

People who are preparing to divorce may want to get advice from a family law attorney regarding what the end of a marriage may mean for their individual situations. In addition to assisting in negotiating a settlement agreement with the other spouse, the attorney may also suggest the retention of a forensic accountant if there is a concern that the other party has been hiding assets.