Divorce for Physicians

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Lawyers in North Texas Helping Doctors Through the Divorce Process

No matter how you make your living, a divorce is likely to create difficulties in your life. For physicians, including hospital-based physicians and those who own and operate private practices, the divorce process can be even more challenging. At Clark Law Group in Dallas, Texas, we understand that the right way to handle such a divorce case is rarely the same from one case to the next, but we recognize the importance of protecting your life’s work. That is why we are committed to helping you find a favorable resolution to even the most challenging divorce issues.

Dallas County Attorneys for Protecting a Professional Practice

If you are a physician who owns a small, private practice, your business may be considered part of the community property during your divorce. This could be true even if your spouse never played a role in the business or its operation. Texas law provides that an asset may be considered community property based on a number of factors, including when the practice was founded, how it has grown during the marriage, and how profits are managed. Assuming your spouse is not also a physician, there is little chance that they could take over any portion of the practice, but they could be entitled to a share of the practice’s value. Our lawyers are equipped to help you determine if all or part of your practice may be subject to asset division in your divorce.

Other Financial Considerations

Even if you are not in private practice, your career as a physician is likely to have other financial effects on your divorce. For example, physicians are often well-compensated, which means you might have fairly substantial wealth or real estate holdings. Whether you have liquid funds saved, own complicated investments, or regularly invest in real estate, the assets you accumulated during your marriage are likely to be subject to division during the divorce process.

Your income and the lifestyle you created for your spouse during the marriage could also be factors, particularly when it comes to spousal maintenance or alimony. Under Texas law, alimony can be ordered if the court finds doing so to be fair and equitable to both spouses. Therefore, if you and your spouse established a certain standard of living solely on your income, you could be required to help your spouse financially for a period of time after your divorce.

If you have children under the age of 18, there is a good chance that you will be required to pay child support as well. Our attorneys will help ensure that your rights are fully protected and that your children have the resources they need to thrive.

Child Custody Concerns

Doctors work long and hard to obtain their credentials, and their work schedules are usually more demanding and unpredictable than those of other professionals. As much as you love your family, your job might make it so that you are often away from home and get to spend less time with your children than your non-physician spouse does. This can make coming up with a custody schedule more complicated.

You and your spouse can negotiate your own custody and visitation schedule but if you cannot agree, the court will make a determination based on what it believes to be in the best interests of your children. Ideally, your children will spend as much time with each parent as possible, so the court will attempt to create as fair a schedule as possible based on factors such as:

The work schedule and availability of each parent
Which parent was the primary caregiver as the children were growing up
The age and health of each child
Whether there are allegations of domestic violence or substance abuse

Our Texas child custody lawyers can help you navigate this difficult area of divorce and strive for the most favorable result possible.

Call 469-906-2266 for a Confidential Consultation

For more information about our firm and how we help physicians with their most challenging family law concerns, contact our office. Call 469-906-2266 to schedule a confidential consultation with an experienced member of the team at Clark Law Group today. We serve clients throughout the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area.