Law Firm Resources

The Dougherty, Hanneman & Piccin, LLC ("DHP") law firm has established relationships with outside professionals to provide specialized or expert services often required in divorce and dissolution proceedings. Shown below are descriptions of some of those resources.

• Certified Public Accountants, Certified Divorce Planners and Certified Fraud Examiners - These professionals assist in analyzing and preparing financial reports and investigating the location and source of potential hidden assets. These analyses may be very important in determining property and debt division for the spouses.
• Expert Assistance - Expert witnesses are frequently used in high income and significant asset cases. In such cases, a tax accountant, forensic accountant, vocational evaluator, business appraiser, or other expert can provide critical analysis and testimony to help protect our clients' legal rights and financial interests.
• Forensic Psychologists - In child custody cases where the child or children's custody is contested between the parents, and the mental health of one or both of the parents is an issue, a forensic psychologist may perform a child custody evaluation.
• Guardian ad Litem ("GAL") - In contested child custody cases, an attorney is often selected to represent the best interest of the child or children in helping to decide the child custody issues.
• Property Appraisals - A party may request that an asset be valued by a competent expert. For example, real estate, business interests, professional practices and other complex assets are frequently appraised to provide an objective financial value as a basis for dividing the assets and debts.
• Qualified Domestic Relations Orders ("QDRO') - Some retirement accounts or plans require special orders pursuant to IRS rules and regulations to divide those assets. The analysis and preparation of QDRO's is a highly specialized skill. We work with a leading national firm and with qualified individual accountants.
• Subpoenas - A party may send a subpoena to a non-party who has documents or information relevant to the divorce. A subpoena is a court order. The subpoena can command a person to provide documents or electronic data. Further, a subpoena can command a person to appear and answer questions under oath.
• Vocational Evaluations - A party may demand that the other party submit to a vocational evaluation. After the evaluation, a vocational expert will state what jobs a party could do and what income a party could earn. Vocational evaluations may be very important in determining appropriate child support and spousal support (alimony) orders.

In order for family law firms to operate successfully, it is critical that they use proper legal research and technology tools to accomplish tasks efficiently and cost-effectively.

The DHP law firm has a complete family law library of the leading legal publications in print and/or electronic form. In addition, the attorneys own and use the latest PC-based technology to operate an efficient law firm using state-of-the-art resources.

Some of the invaluable technology resources that DHP uses to serve its clients include:

• SupportWorks® - PC software that creates basic child support calculations
  
• FinPlan® - Advanced PC software that calculates child support, cash flow and income tax consequences for1 spousal support
• Equal Shares® - PC software that divides marital property, with or without tax consequences
• PCLaw® - PC software that manages client funds held in trust, bills clients, schedules key court and non-court dates, and manages all the financial transactions of the law firm
• Lexis® - Electronic legal research resource that reviews legal statues and codes, research past cases and judicial decisions that are relevant in planning and prosecuting each client's case.
• Microsoft® - Application software programs, such as Word®, Excel® and other PC software programs that create documents, exhibits, trial notebooks, etc.
• Microsoft Outlook® - Software program that optimizes electronic communication with the firm's clients

The DHP law firm attorneys have produced successful outcomes for many family law clients. Please click here to read about success stories that reflect various family law issues. Perhaps you will see your marital issues reflected in one or more of these brief stories.