If you are a tech professional or are married to one, you should hire a divorce for IT/tech professionals lawyer in Spokane Valley when pursuing a dissolution of marriage.
The unique benefits involved in these divorces can make proceedings challenging, and a lawyer can ensure that you and your spouse can reach a fair divorce settlement.
Dellino Family Law is a full-service firm that does not hesitate to fight for you throughout your divorce. When navigating divorce as a tech professional seems overwhelming, a Spokane Valley divorce lawyer can provide direction. With over 180 years of combined experience on our side, we can strategically advocate for you and provide solutions.
Spokane Valley Tech Professionals Receive Unique Benefits
There are several types of benefits that tech professionals receive that are unique to their industry. These individuals trade long hours, unique skills, and high-pressure roles for generous compensation, investment options, and other perks of the job.
These benefits often come with restrictions or stipulations on how they can be used or accessed. Some of these benefits may include:
- Investment options: Tech professionals may receive a variety of investment options that include 401(k) benefits, equity, stock options, profit-sharing, and restricted stock units (RSUs). Exact options vary by employer and employment level within the company.
- Bonuses: Some companies may offer employees benefits for signing with them, exemplary performance, and various discretionary bonuses. Be sure to understand the fine print on these bonuses if offered.
- Stipends: Tech companies may offer stipends for setting up a home office, for professional development, or lifestyle or health perks. These may be one-time benefits or ongoing.
- PTO: Employers may offer regular or unlimited PTO to employees. In a divorce, unused regular PTO can be valued and divided, while unlimited PTO is not considered to have a specific value.
It is important to understand your or your spouse’s portfolio of tech benefits and their terms of use. This information is important for fairly dividing up these assets, especially given their complexity.
Speak with a Spokane Valley family lawyer to determine how a tech benefits package may affect you or your spouse in a divorce so you can protect your assets and your rights.
Speak to a Spokane Valley Divorce for IT/Tech Professionals Attorney About How to Divide Tech Benefits and Other Assets
When it comes to dividing assets, Washington is a community property state (RCW 26.16.030) that divides assets equitably between both spouses. That means that any tech benefits acquired during the course of a marriage can be divided between both spouses. However, since the state focuses on fair division and tech benefits have unique values and restrictions, challenges can arise.
For example, vesting schedules for investment options can impact what each spouse is eligible to receive in a divorce, when it was earned, and when each spouse may access it.
Determining the value of other benefits can also be difficult and cause confusion about what each spouse has a right to receive. Benefits received before or after marriage may be considered separate and exempt from division.
Couples should be aware of how the length of a marriage influences a divorce settlement as well. Spouses who have not been married long may not have much to divide to return them to a pre-marital status. Couples in medium and long-term marriages have built lives together and have mixed resources. Assets are divided more equitably in these cases, which means all assets are carefully scrutinized.
The Impact of IT/Tech Professional Divorces or Child Custody and Support Arrangements
Custody and child support decisions may also be more complicated in divorces where at least one of the parents is a tech professional. Long work hours, demanding schedules, and location-specific jobs may require more customized parenting plans or larger child support payments to ensure stability and a similar quality of life for the children involved.
Courts focus on the best interests of a child in a divorce to make sure they have as much access to both parents as possible. When combined with equitable division of assets, what the courts decide is equitable may include the trade-off of some assets.
For example, if a non-tech professional spouse has primary custody of a child, then they may receive the house and other key assets in the divorce, while the tech professional spouse may pay more in child support and/or retain more of their employee benefits to offset limited custody time. Be sure to talk to your Spokane Valley divorce for IT/tech professionals lawyer about your specific situation.
You and Your Spouse Have Several Options for Resolving Divorce Disputes
Couples may disagree about many aspects of their divorce, including tech assets. Rights, timelines, and the value of these benefits can create conflict that may be difficult to resolve.
For couples who made a prenuptial agreement before they were married, disagreements may be reduced since the majority of decisions may already have been made. Divorce negotiations can also be used to work through conflicts.
If a valid prenuptial agreement does not exist or negotiations fail, there are a few types of alternative dispute resolution available. Dellino Family Law may recommend the one that makes the most sense for your situation.
Mediation can be used when both parties are willing to work with a neutral third party to work through their disagreements and find common ground.
Arbitration can be a good option for couples who need structured dispute resolution while minimizing court involvement. An arbitrator has the authority to issue a decision that both parties must adhere to if they pursue binding arbitration.
If these options are unhelpful or are insufficient for navigating the disputes between you and your spouse, you can go to trial and receive a decision by a judge.
Consult the Experienced Divorce Attorneys at Dellino Family Law to Get Started
Dellino Family Law has your interests in mind from the very start and fights tirelessly for you when your marriage ends and your family unit changes.
While tech divorces are more complicated, our team is adept at determining the value of your benefits and brokering a fair settlement. Schedule a case evaluation with a Divorce for IT/tech professionals attorney in Spokane Valley from our team today.