Colorado Property Division Overview

Are you involved in a Colorado property division case? An experienced Colorado Springs divorce and child custody lawyer can guide you through the legal process and assist you in exploring your options. You have one bite at the apple in the court system so make it count.

Divorce, called dissolution of marriage in Colorado, may involve complex financial issues involving the division of assets such as real property, investments, trusts, businesses, retirement plans and valuable personal property. It is important at the outset to determine whether there is any separate property, and the impact that the property may have on equitable distribution. Accurate valuation is essential and various experts may be retained for this purpose. The most important assistance an attorney can provide to a client is mapping out his or her assets or debt and creating an equitable distribution proposal. A comprehensive understanding of property valuation and division is essential in any legal separation or dissolution action.

After people marry, property that they acquire becomes marital property, with a few exceptions such as gifts or inheritances.¹ Separate property is generally property that was acquired before marriage. A court cannot divide separate property, however can allocate it to the owner and consider it as an economic circumstance when dividing marital property. Property is presumed to be marital and the burden of establishing that property is separate is on the spouse alleging the existence of separate property. The separate property value is the value of the property on the date of marriage. In order to establish the value of separate property on the date of marriage, documentation has to be provided to establish that value whether through account statements or retroactive appraisals.

Turning Change Into Opportunity in Colorado Springs, Colorado Divorce and Child Custody

A highly knowledgeable and experienced Colorado Springs divorce and child custody lawyer can guide you through Colorado Springs divorce and child custody matters by negotiating, mediating and litigating on your behalf. You can focus on moving to a better future instead of spending your time attempting to navigate complex legal rules and procedures.

Sabra Janko from Janko Family Law has more than 20 years of legal experience and has written “the book” on Colorado divorce and family law – “Colorado Family Law With Forms”, published by LexisNexis, which you can find at https://store.lexisnexis.com/products/colorado-family-law-with-forms-skuSKU02903. Contact us at 719-344-5523 or complete our online scheduling request for a free 30-minute informational consultation. We also offer paid advice sessions for a more in-depth analysis of your case.

1Uniform Dissolution of Marriage Act, C.R.S. § 14-10-113.