High Net Worth Divorce in New York
Divorce litigators may want you to believe that your complex or high value estate divorce can only be fairly resolved by courtroom litigation. This is false.
In fact, spouses with high net worth have a great deal to gain via mediation, as well as much to lose should they choose to litigate. Horror stories about divorcing spouses embroiled in lengthy legal battles only to relinquish much of their assets to attorneys' fees and costs are common for this reason. Usually they are so embroiled by the time they realize it, that it is hard to stop. I worked with one couple who, after spending $1,000,000.00 and two years in court, came to me at the recommendation of their therapist. I was able to finish their case in a few weeks for less than $8,000.00
The dirty secret of divorce litigation is there is nothing “litigation” can help you achieve that can’t be achieved with mediation. “Divorce litigation in court” often entails two seasoned trial lawyers, just before trial, who launch into negotiations to avoid that trial. This is, of course, if you both are lucky enough to have chosen two like-minded attorneys. But why spend exorbitant amounts of money hiring two attorneys, posturing, and battling in court before coming to the “settlement table?”
Individuals going through divorce who have a high profile and/or net worth often present unique sets of challenges. Look at how Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes avoided years of politicized litigation. Some of the issues which may arise in these high net worth cases include the disposition and distribution of:
- Business assets
- Professional licenses or degrees (which offer increased earning potential)
- Stock options, IRAs, 401(k) accounts and pensions
- Trusts
- Real estate
- Family businesses
- Professional practices
- Closely held businesses
- Inherited wealth
- Separate property
- Celebrity value
When you work with Lois M. Brenner, Esq. you will not only benefit from her background in corporate law at Sullivan & Cromwell and her comprehensive understanding of hose complex financial issues, but our proven results in high stakes matters. Working with our skilled divorce team puts you in the driver’s seat – not in the courts.
Lois Brenner is referred to as the “Lawyer's Lawyer” and is recognized for handling sophisticated and complex cases discretely and creatively, including those involving high net worth individuals, business owners and executives, lawyers, doctors, celebrities, and public figures.
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When my daughter was sideswiped and served with a summons by her husband we called Lois Brenner. I had met Lois when she was giving a seminar on Marriage and Finances. I thought she was really smart. I never dreamt I would be calling her to help my daughter. When we went to see her she put our minds at ease. We immediately knew she was the attorney for us. She managed to negotiate a really good settlement with my son-in-law’s attorney. She was tough and always returned our phone calls and responded immediately to our emails. We even heard from her on weekends!! She was determined to keep us out of court and guided us every step of the way. She was our Angel!!! Mary B.- Mary B
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When I first decided to hire a divorce attorney, I thought a male attorney would be best. Lois Brenner really surprised me. Although she has written a divorce book on women’s rights, she is totally an advocate for men as well. She really understood how much I loved my kids, and listened and understood all the horrible things my wife was doing to destroy their relationship with me. She didn’t miss a beat and really went to bat for me. She reached out to my wife’s attorney every time my wife made any attempt to disrupt my visiting our kids and always demanded the best results. She made herself available, even when she was on vacation! Lois has been there every step of the way in these difficult circumstances. I highly recommend her.- Sam
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Lois is a “Rock Star” I was very worried about my daughter who was in a really bad marriage. I started researching divorce attorneys and found Lois Brenner. I called her, discussed my daughter’s horrible marriage and she agreed to meet with us. Since my daughter’s husband wanted out of the marriage too (he was cheating), Lois suggested she help them dissolve their marriage in mediation. To my surprise it worked out. Lois was able to keep my daughter and husband from fighting during their sessions, and she helped them resolve all their financial issues. Since I was paying the fees to help my daughter, not having to go to court saved us a great deal of money. As a father, I am truly grateful for everything Lois did. Her talks with me in the beginning of the process, to calm me down, really helped. I would highly recommend her to anyone thinking of divorce.- Graham (happy dad)
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“You are extremely knowledgeable and the consummate professional.”- Ben and Jill
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Lois was an absolute pleasure to work with. She worked on a prenuptial agreement for me. Our very first conversation put me at ease. She was interested in my upcoming marriage and wedding. She assured me the prenuptial agreement could be drafted quickly. She made intelligent recommendations to address some of my complex financial decisions. She also made sound suggestions to protect my multi-million dollar portfolio. Our wedding is coming up and will be a lot smaller than we originally thought due to COVID-19, but Lois Brenner got our prenuptial agreement done in time, and made it a lot more pleasurable experience than I thought it would be. I would recommend Lois to anyone seeking a truly skilled attorney to draft their prenuptial agreement.- Glen Mearns
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Thank you Ms. Brenner! It was a rough summer trying to get our parenting agreement together.but you really helped. My ex-husband and I fought all summer about what the children's schedule would be once school started. Your endless guidance and productive sessions with us made all the difference. You straightened us out with your sound, caring advice. We both feel better now. Our kids feel better too. Thank you, thank you. We hope you had a great summer. We will recommend you highly to anyone needing a family law attorney.- Brenda
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We have Lois Brenner to thank for turning our marriage around. We hired Lois as our mediator when we were considering divorce. When we started working with her and she realized we wanted to try to keep our marriage together she suggested a postnuptial agreement to get our marriage back on track. Having the postnuptial agreement made us both accountable when it came to our issues. Having this doc in place is clearly helping us redefine our marriage in a better way. I don’t know if we will never get divorced, but for now we are respecting each others’ boundaries and are aware of the consequences if we don’t! It was really cool that Ms. Brenner suggested this method as an option. Most divorce attorneys would not have suggested a way for us to try to stay together. She is very talented and unusual in the best possible way. If we choose to take the divorce path eventually we will definitely hire her again. In the meantime we are making it work. She is amazing.- Joseph M
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I am a highly successful money manager and before meeting Lois Brenner, hiring a divorce attorney was a disaster. Two previous divorce attorneys really wasted my funds, and had no savvy when it came to asset and property distribution. Lois Brenner finally fixed the mess I was in. She and her team of financial experts, including attorney Matthew Ehrlich were able to prepare an asset and property distribution that was realistic, keeping in mind tax ramifications, and important distributions and allocations. They negotiated a thorough and financially sound divorce settlement. If you have a lot of assets, just any divorce attorney won’t do. You really need someone with a lot of knowledge. Lois Brenner and Matthew Ehrlich were really impressive. Thanks!!- Michael C.
