My experience as both a family law attorney and forensic accountant has helped me excel at both professions. As a result, I am grateful to be able to help people through a major life event such as a divorce. Viewing divorce from various professional platforms has helped me identify the common inefficiencies and ineffectiveness of traditional family law. While my experiences have shaped the professional I am today, the underlying principles I apply to my practice started much earlier than any education or experience. When I was just one years old my father died of a heart attack. While I obviously didn’t know my father, I learned a very important lesson at a very young age – life is short and we need to value our time and energy. It also led me to ask a lot of questions. For example –
Why do people who cared for each other enough to get married then spend so much time, energy and money tearing each other down? How can we avoid doing this to each other?
Why is divorce so expensive, especially when the financial benefit to the family is far outweighed by the tremendous cost? There are people benefiting, but it’s not the families.
Why must we sign up for a divorce process that only extends our unhappiness through litigation and quite often past the conclusion of the litigation? Most people considering divorce have already spent months or years being unhappy. Why do we extend that unhappiness when we can avoid it?
Why do we implement family law like all other types of law when it is so clearly different?
Why do attorneys with no financial or psychological background advise people on financial and psychological issues? Divorce certainly includes the law, but family “law” is so much more than statutes and case law.
Why do we forget that family law judges are human like the rest of us and expect them to make rulings inconsistent with their gut when we tell ourselves all the time to “trust our gut.”
Why do we think that staying in a toxic relationship/marriage is always “best for the kids?”
Why don’t we recognize that wanting a divorce is usually a sign of our own unhappiness and why don’t we spend more time learning about what it takes to make ourselves happy as opposed to relying on someone else?
Why do we rely upon a divorce process that creates so much fear and anxiety? Wouldn’t a process that relieves fear and anxiety make so much more sense?
Why do divorce professionals burn out so quickly and is the money really worth it? Is the motion practice and constant chase for discovery really why we went to law school?
I could keep going. These questions, and the answers I uncovered, led me to grow frustrated with the traditional divorce process. Why are spouses and professionals signing up for a process that is so intertwined with negativity? Unlike other areas of law between litigants, parties to a family law action often need to continue to coexist and share a life well after the divorce. The marriage may be over, but the relationship or connection must continue.
I know I understand the legal aspects of divorce better than most of the accountants and I understand the accounting/financial aspects better than most of the attorneys. I use my expertise to help families achieve better outcomes and family law professionals achieve better practices. I know I can help you no matter where you are in your dissolution journey. The first step is to determining where you are. Do you need an attorney or mediator (Jon Stief Law & Mediation)? Do you need a forensic accountant (Jon Stief Forensics)? Are you looking for a divorce coach or consultant to provide general guidance (Jon Stief Coaching & Consulting)? Are you looking for an alternative dispute resolution that avoids the most common pitfalls of traditional divorce litigation (InDivorce)? I invite you to book a consultation with me to learn more about our various solutions and how I can you successfully redesign your future.
CREDENTIALS
Attorney, Florida Bar
Member
Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Law Mediator
Certification
Certified Public Accountant
License, State of Florida
Certified in Financial Forensics
Certification, AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants)
Accredited in Business Valuation
Accreditation, AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants)
Personal Financial Specialist
Certification, AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants)
Nova Southeastern University, Juris Doctor
Law Degree
University of Florida, B.S. Accounting
Bachelor Degree
Florida Atlantic University, MTAX
Masters Degree
Broward County Bar Association
Member
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Member
Expert Witness – Testimony Provided
Circuit Court, Broward County, Florida
Circuit Court, Palm Beach County, Florida
Circuit Court, Miami-Dade County, Florida
