Divorce Mediation Attorney

Divorce mediation allows you to resolve your divorce without turning over important decisions to the court.  This voluntary settlement process gives you more control over the divorce outcomes while saving you money in divorce attorney fees.

Divorce Mediation Attorneys Use Mediation to Resolve Divorces

Mediation provides a process in which our clients may resolve issues and come to their own agreements rather than spend significant time and money going to trial.  Since divorce is such an emotional process, many of our clients find relief knowing that they can control some or many of the decisions required to be considered in a divorce setting.

Various family law issues may be resolved in divorce mediation:

• Child Custody
• Child Support
• Spousal Support

Divorce Mediation Versus Utah Divorce Litigation

When the parties use a Utah family lawyer to assist with divorce mediation, the parties can choose how to restructure their family and divide their marital assets rather than rely on the court to decide these issues.  This can make the process less painful, less stressful, and less costly.  In contrast, Utah divorce lawyer litigation creates a winner-takes-all mentality.  Valuable resources are consumed during the divorce litigation process while both parties are experiencing a reduction in household income and increased individual expenses.  A long, drawn out Utah divorce litigation matter has short-term and long-term consequences, especially when children are added to the equation.

Although mediation can save time, money, and emotional energy, the process requires cooperation from both parties.  If either side is unwilling to bend and negotiate, the process may turn into litigation.  In that scenario, Utah divorce attorney team can represent you and strive to protect your best interests and those of your children.

WHAT IS AN EGG SHELL AUDIT?

An egg shell audit is one in which the client and the representative are aware of potential indicators of civil fraud or potential criminal tax violations. The main objective in these audits is to avoid a referral by the revenue agent to the IRS Criminal Investigation Division (CID). The avoidance of a deficiency and civil penalties are lesser objectives. If the auditor does perceive sensitive issues, the taxpayer’s attorney must convince the auditor that the case is best resolved civilly and that the taxpayer’s conduct does not warrant a criminal investigation or prosecution.  Any IRS audit can be extremely stressful.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I AM INVOVLED IN AN EGG SHELL AUDIT?

The first steps to handling an egg shell audit are to identify privileged information and preserve that information. The attorney should then perform his or her own due diligence by conducting an internal audit of the tax return to determine any potential risks. The practitioner must also monitor any warning signs that the IRS revenue agent has made contact with the Fraud Technical Advisor (FTA). A FTA is an IRS agent who assists other auditors to develop the assessment of the civil fraud penalty or determine whether an audit should be referred to CID.

The IRS has established a very structured and comprehensive review process for determining whether taxpayers are referred for a criminal investigation. Representatives must be aware of any indicators of fraud, thoroughly investigate their client’s returns and financial affairs, and carefully prepare for any conversations and meetings with the IRS to avoid statements or conduct that could aggravate a sensitive audit.

Free Consultation with Divorce Lawyer

If you have a question about divorce law or if you need to start or defend against a divorce case in Utah call Ascent Law at (801) 676-5506. We will help you.