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Welcome to BVSource.com, the internet’s most comprehensive resource dedicated to business and financial issues in divorce. Sponsored by Attorney Brian C. Vertz, MBA, AVA, an experience divorce  lawyer and partner in PBKG LLC, a Pittsburgh matrimonial law firm serving executives, professionals, business owners, spouses, and families in transition.

What does business have to do with divorce? The owners of small businesses and professional practices face some of the most complex and sophisticated issues that arise in divorce litigation. Yet, most of these financial issues are important to everyone who is contemplating separation or experiencing a divorce.

In divorce proceedings, the courts are called upon to divide marital property (or in some states, community property) between divorcing spouses. When a spouse is an owner of a family business or professional practice, the courts must determine its fair market value. Most judges and divorce lawyers are not trained in accounting, appraisal or business valuation, though they may have experience as users of those services.  That is why lawyers may engage professionals trained in business valuation to render an expert opinion. In contested divorce cases, both spouses might engage business valuators to offer competing opinions. In those cases, the judge must hear both sides and determine whose opinion is better.

Business valuation professionals often provide litigation support services for divorce lawyers in related areas, such as calculating net disposable income for child support and alimony purposes or tracing the nonmarital component of assets that might be subject to equitable distribution or division of marital or community property. Divorce lawyers and judges know a lot about these issues, but they may turn to experts to decipher complex compensation and tax questions that arise in these cases.

A divorce is a sophisticated business transaction where financial acumen is crucial.  This site contemplates many of the financial and practical aspects of family law, including:                                                                                                  

• What is included as income in a child support or spousal support case?
• Do bonuses and deferred compensation (such as restricted stock and stock options) count as income or marital property or both?
• Are budgetary expenses considered in child support and alimony cases?
• How can cash flow be maintained during the separation period?
• Who is responsible for paying debts?
• If  the spouses are co-owners, who controls the business during separation?
• Is property or a business worth the price it can be sold for?
• Do professional practices, such as dental practices or accounting firms, have value apart from the skills and reptuation of the professional?
• Should business owners receive special consideration for making extraordinary efforts toward the success of the business?
• How does a court decide what percentage each spouse should get?

About the Publisher

The publisher of this Web site is Brian C. Vertz, Esq., MBA, AVA, a lawyer who is licensed to practice only in the states of Pennsylvania and Georgia. Brian C. Vertz provides legal representation to families and individuals who reside in the Counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Cambria, Centre, Fayette, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer, Washington and Westmoreland, including communities such as: Adams, Allison Park, Aspinwall, Beaver, Beaver Falls, Bell Acres, Bellevue, Ben Avon, Bethel Park, Bradfordwoods, Brentwood, Bridgeville, Butler, California, Canonsburg, Carnegie, Centerville, Champion, Collier, Coraopolis, Crafton, Cranberry, Crescent, East Deer, Ebensburg, Edgeworth,  Export, Findlay, Finleyville, Forward, Fox Chapel, Franklin Park, Gibsonia, Glenshaw, Greensburg, Greentree, Greenville, Grove City, Hampton, Harmar, Hermitage, Hidden Valley, Highland Park, Indiana, Ingomar, Jefferson Hills, Johnstown, Kennedy, Kilbuck, Kittanning, Latrobe, Ligonier, Mars, Marshall, McCandless, McDonald, McMurray, Monroeville, Moon, Mt. Washington, Mt. Lebanon, Murrysville, Nevillewood, New Brighton, New Castle, North Fayette, North Strabane, O’Hara, Oakmont, Oakland, Ohio Township, Penn Hills, Peters, Pine, Pittsburgh, Pleasant Hills, Plum, Presto, Richland, Rochester, Roslyn Farms, Ross, Scott, Seven Fields, Seven Springs, Sewickley, Shadyside, Shaler, Sharon, Slippery Rock, Somerset, South Fayette, South Park, Southpointe, Squirrel Hill, State College, Stowe, Tarentum, Thornburg, Uniontown, Upper St. Clair, Valencia, Venetia, Washington, Warrendale, West Deer, West Elizabeth, West Mifflin, West View, Wexford, White Oak, Whitehall, Wilkins and Zelienople.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

This Web site is presented for informational purposes only. Use of this site by its readers does not create an attorney-client relationship with Brian C. Vertz or Pollock Begg Komar Glasser LLC, nor does such use constitute the receipt of legal advice from Brian C. Vertz or Pollock Begg Komar Glasser LLC. A detailed confidential discussion of your factual circumstances with an attorney is a necessary component of becoming a client. No user of this site, whether or not the user is an existing client of Brian C. Vertz or Pollock Begg Komar Glasser LLC, should act upon the content of this site without seeking specific legal counsel from a properly licensed attorney. The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements. Before choosing a lawyer, users should request free written information about our qualifications and experience. DO NOT send any confidential information concerning potential legal representation until you speak with one of our attorneys and get authorization to send the information to us. Our principal office is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The information published on this site is intended to be current and accurate, but may become stale or inaccurate due to the passage of time and changes in the law. It is necessary to speak with a lawyer to ensure the accuracy of this information as well as its applicability to a particular factual situation.

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This site provides links to a variety of other resources. However, this site does not intend such links to be referrals to, or endorsements of, the linked resources or information that they make available.

Photographic images contained in this website are dramatizations except for images provided in the staff biography section.

IRS CIRCULAR 230 NOTICE

Pursuant to the requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you any U.S. tax advice contained in this site was not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, by any taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed under federal tax law.