Ugh! Why Is It So Confusing?

ASSEMBLING A DIVORCE TEAM  

The more complicated the divorce – whether it involves serious financial issues or negotiating custody – the larger the divorce team usually becomes. Barbara Shapiro, who is a certified divorce financial analyst for the HMS Financial Group, said she is usually the second stop for most of her clients during the divorce process. A certified divorce financial analyst is a financial planner who has had additional training in handling divorce.            

She sees building a divorce team like building a medical team. She recommends clients use the Internet for research, ask friends’ opinions and speak to other experts before hiring anyone. She said the process of developing the team is not a difficult one, it just feels that way.          

“I think that really, people are devastated, even if it is their idea, it is so emotionally wrenching, they just aren’t thinking,” Shapiro said.   

She said the team should consist of people who are experts in their fields – matrimonial attorneys, financial analysts who work specifically in the area of divorce, Mortgage brokers, therapists, forensic accountants, or support groups who understand the needs of those going through divorce.     

‘’Divorce is complicated, it’s tricky, every state is different. You need someone who does it often enough who can understand all of the little intricacies of your area,” Shapiro said.             

The team should work together well, and work well with the client. Shapiro said clients must feel comfortable asking questions of their attorneys, accountants or anyone else on the team. Clients must feel supported and respected by the team. She said they must feel as it those they are hiring to help them through the divorce listen to them and answer their questions completely.  

“This is not stuff that someone would intuitively know,” Shapiro said. “You need to make rational decisions in an irrational time in your life.”  


Michele Bush Kimball has a Ph.D. in mass communication with a specialization in media law.  She has spent almost 15 years in the field of journalism, and she teaches at American University in Washington, D.C.  She recently won a national research award for her work.  She can be reached at m.kimball@divorce360.com.