High-Asset Divorce Attorney in Chicago

The approach

Complex financial cases require a disciplined sequence: identify the estate, preserve the evidence, value what matters, understand tax consequences, and negotiate from a position that is prepared for trial.

Business interests

Closely held companies and professional practices can require valuation, income normalization, goodwill analysis, and careful treatment of ownership restrictions.

Equity compensation

RSUs, stock options, deferred compensation and performance awards can cross the marital timeline and require grant-by-grant analysis.

Tracing + disclosure

Premarital property, inheritances, commingled accounts, dissipation allegations and undisclosed assets turn documentation into evidence.

What belongs in the marital estate?

Before negotiating a balance sheet, identify the assets that may remain non-marital and any reimbursement claims. Explore premarital homes, inheritances, trusts, tracing and appreciation in the property-division guide.

How do you investigate missing or incomplete financial information?

Start with a record gap, not an accusation. A missing statement or unexplained transfer calls for a traceable question: which account, which date, which amount and which destination? Hidden assets, poor recordkeeping and a disputed valuation are different problems.

Create an inventory of bank and brokerage accounts, retirement plans, business interests, compensation, real estate and debts. Compare tax-return income with pay records, distributions and account deposits. Keep a list of incomplete months, unexplained transfers and missing ownership documents for counsel to pursue through appropriate discovery.

Illinois Supreme Court Rule 214 permits requests for relevant documents and electronically stored information within the responding party’s possession or control. Responses and objections must address the requests, and supplementation duties matter when new responsive information becomes available. A financial affidavit is useful, but it does not replace the underlying records.

Use records you are authorized to access. Preserve originals and dates; do not guess passwords, impersonate your spouse or alter an account. For suspected spending unrelated to the marriage, review the separate dissipation requirements and deadlines. Missing-property and dissipation issues can overlap, but they are not interchangeable.

Source: Illinois Supreme Court Rule 214. Legal sources checked September 27, 2026.

What should a complex financial settlement account for?

A large balance sheet does not necessarily mean cash is available. Distinguish classification, value, liquidity, income and taxes for each significant asset. A home, retirement plan and closely held business may have similar stated values while producing very different spendable funds and risks.

Section 503 requires a division in just proportions and identifies factors including economic circumstances, contributions, future opportunities and tax consequences. “High asset” is a description of a case, not a separate statutory formula or a guarantee of a particular result.

Identify the work the matter actually needs: financial tracing, valuation, compensation analysis, settlement drafting or contested hearings. Charles Wright can assemble a Beermann team around those needs and explain who is responsible for each part of the case. The objective is an informed decision that serves the client and their family.

Source: 750 ILCS 5/503(d) and (k). Legal sources checked September 27, 2026.

Chicago + Chicagoland

Charles M. Wright represents family-law clients from Beermann LLP's Chicago office and serves matters in Cook County · Lake County · DuPage County · Will County · Kendall County · Kane County. County procedure matters, but the core discipline does not change: define the issue, develop the evidence, and make the legal argument fit the actual facts.

DEEP DIVEBusiness Owner Divorce

Valuation, income and liquidity.

DEEP DIVERSUs + Stock Options

Equity compensation and vesting.

SUPPORTChild Support

High and variable income.

QUICK ANSWERS

Questions that come up early.

What makes an Illinois divorce “high asset”?

There is no statutory dollar threshold. The practical issue is complexity: significant wealth, hard-to-value assets, business interests, unusual compensation, tax exposure, or contested tracing can make the financial side of a case materially more demanding.

Do unvested RSUs matter in divorce?

Yes. Section 503(b)(3) presumes stock options, restricted stock and similar benefits granted during the statutory marital period are marital, even when unvested or not yet valued. That does not mean every award is divided equally or entirely marital. Statutory exceptions, the grant’s purpose, vesting conditions and the period of service matter. Analyze each grant, not just the current brokerage balance.

Source: 750 ILCS 5/503(b)(3).

When should a forensic accountant be involved?

Consider one when a defined financial question could change the outcome: tracing an inheritance, reconciling business income, investigating missing money or valuing an ownership interest. Not every divorce needs every kind of expert. First identify the question, available records, likely cost and how the work will assist negotiation or proof. Charles can coordinate the legal and financial team through Beermann.

Source: 750 ILCS 5/503(l).

Concerned about missing money or disputed transfers? See how to organize a dissipation or disclosure concern, including the transaction record and statutory notice requirements.

High-Asset Divorce