Jacksonville High-Asset Divorce Lawyer
Matt Hunt is a Board Certified Marital & Family Law attorney at Phillips, Hunt & Walker — one of the rarest credentials in Florida family law. The Florida Bar independently tested and certified his expertise through examination and peer review. AV-Preeminent (Martindale-Hubbell). Florida Super Lawyers. Among the youngest attorneys in Florida to achieve Board Certification in his specialty.
When significant assets are at stake, the quality of your legal representation determines how much you walk away with. High-asset divorce involves business valuation disputes, contested retirement account division, real property with complex title histories, investment portfolios, stock options, deferred compensation, and often substantial alimony claims — all against the backdrop of an adversary who has equal resources to fight back.
At Phillips, Hunt & Walker, we handle high-asset divorce with the financial precision and trial preparation these cases demand. We retain the right experts — business valuators, forensic CPAs, real estate appraisers, vocational experts — and we prepare to try the case from day one. That preparation is why we consistently achieve better outcomes: in settlement, the other side knows we’re ready.
Confidential consultation. No copy costs charged to clients. Call (904) 444-4444.
What Makes High-Asset Divorce Different
When the marital estate includes a business, substantial retirement accounts, concentrated stock positions, real property, or professional goodwill, the stakes and complexity are categorically different. Greater litigation risk (business valuation battles with competing experts); more assets to trace (separate vs. marital, passive vs. active appreciation); higher alimony stakes (significant income disparities); and more sophisticated adversaries who have resources to pursue every theory.
Business Valuation in Divorce
When one or both spouses own a business, the business interest is typically the most valuable and most disputed marital asset. Florida law requires marital business interests be valued for equitable distribution — but valuation is expert opinion, and competing opinions can differ by millions of dollars.
Valuation methods: asset-based approach (fair market value of assets minus liabilities, best for asset-intensive businesses); income approach (capitalizes earnings or discounts projected cash flows); market approach (compares to recent sales of similar businesses).
Marital vs. separate business value: If the business existed before the marriage, only the increase in value during the marriage is marital. Florida distinguishes between passive appreciation (market forces, not a marital asset) and active appreciation (result of either spouse’s labor or contribution during the marriage, which is marital). Tracing this distinction is technically complex and often the crux of business valuation litigation.
Professional goodwill: Florida distinguishes between enterprise goodwill (the business’s reputation — a marital asset) and personal goodwill (the professional’s personal reputation and relationships — not a marital asset). Particularly important for medical practices, law firms, accounting firms, and consulting businesses.
Retirement Account Division: QDROs and DROs
Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO): A court order that directs the plan administrator of a qualified retirement plan (401(k), pension, profit-sharing plan) to divide the account between spouses without triggering the 10% early withdrawal penalty. The non-employee spouse can roll their share into their own IRA tax-free.
Pension Division: Defined benefit plans are more complex. The marital portion is calculated using a time-based coverture fraction (months of marriage during plan participation divided by total months of participation at retirement). The QDRO then directs the plan to pay the non-employee spouse their share upon the employee spouse’s retirement.
Stock Options and Deferred Compensation: Unvested stock options, restricted stock units, and deferred compensation plans are often partially marital and partially non-marital. The time-rule method allocates the marital portion based on the ratio of time the option was earned during the marriage to total vesting time. Improperly drafted QDROs and division orders create financial disasters — tax liabilities, plan administrator rejections, and disputes years after the divorce. We draft these correctly.
Hidden Assets and Financial Fraud
High-asset divorces carry elevated risk of asset concealment: transferring assets to family members with an agreement to return them after divorce; delaying receipt of income until after the divorce; creating sham business debts; underreporting cash business income; offshore accounts or cryptocurrency not reported on financial affidavits.
We pursue hidden assets through comprehensive discovery (subpoenas, financial institution depositions), forensic CPA analysis of business records and tax returns, lifestyle analysis (do reported assets and income match actual spending?), and deposition of the spouse, their accountant, and business partners. Courts sanction parties who conceal marital assets — proven concealment can result in the entire concealed asset being awarded to the innocent spouse.
Why Phillips, Hunt & Walker
Matt Hunt — Board Certified in Marital & Family Law by the Florida Bar. AV-Preeminent (Martindale-Hubbell). Florida Super Lawyers. Among the youngest attorneys in Florida to achieve Board Certification. He has handled complex equitable distribution cases involving businesses, professional practices, real estate portfolios, retirement accounts, and substantial alimony claims.
John M. Phillips — Board Certified in Civil Trial Law. Forbes Top 200 Lawyer in America (2025) and Top 20 in Florida. Florida Trend Legal Elite (top 1% of Florida attorneys). $495,123,680 verdict — the largest jury verdict in Jacksonville history. The firm’s trial depth ensures your high-asset case, if it goes to hearing or trial, is handled by attorneys who have been in the most contested cases in Florida courts.
Expert network. Top business valuators, forensic CPAs, real estate appraisers, vocational experts, and financial planners who work on complex divorce cases.
No copy costs. No interest on litigation expenses. In a complex high-asset case, competing firms’ LIBOR + 8% interest can reach six figures. We don’t. Zero. Period.
660 Park Street, Jacksonville, FL 32204. Serving clients throughout Northeast Florida.
High-Asset Divorce FAQs
Q: Does Florida divide assets 50/50?
A: Florida uses equitable distribution — starting with an equal split presumption but allowing deviation. In high-asset cases, marital vs. separate characterization, active vs. passive appreciation, and asset acquisition timing are often more determinative than the starting presumption.
Q: My spouse owns a business. Am I entitled to half?
A: The marital portion of business value is subject to equitable distribution. This requires determining when the business was acquired, how much it grew during the marriage, and whether that growth is attributable to marital effort (active) or market forces (passive). The answers depend on evidence and expert testimony.
Q: Can I protect assets before filing for divorce?
A: No. Attempting to transfer or dispose of assets to avoid distribution — in anticipation of divorce — can result in reversal of those transfers and sanctions. The right move is to document your separate property carefully and retain counsel who can trace and protect it through the legal process.
Q: My spouse controls all the finances. How do I find out what we have?
A: Discovery. Florida’s mandatory financial disclosure rules require full disclosure of all assets and income. We supplement this with subpoenas for financial records, depositions, and forensic analysis. You have a legal right to full disclosure of the marital estate.
Contact Phillips, Hunt & Walker
In a high-asset divorce, the quality of your representation is the most important financial decision you make.
Confidential consultation. No copy costs. No interest on litigation expenses.
Call (904) 444-4444 today.
Phillips, Hunt & Walker
660 Park Street, Jacksonville, FL 32204
(904) 444-4444 | floridajustice.com
Board Certified Marital & Family Law Attorney. Serving Jacksonville and Northeast Florida.