Business interests, trusts, layered real-estate holdings, deferred compensation, carried interests, restricted stock, retirement assets, and substantial premarital wealth can turn property division into a tracing and valuation case. The documents often matter as much as the headline numbers.
Mia Tarbhai brings a complex-litigation background to these cases. The goal is not unnecessary discovery. It is disciplined discovery: identify the information that can change the result, work effectively with financial professionals when needed, and translate technical evidence into a practical settlement or courtroom presentation.
Scope of representation
Financial questions that deserve early attention
- Business valuation, owner compensation, retained earnings, and personal expenses
- Premarital wealth, inheritances, gifts, commingling, transmutation, and reimbursement
- Trust interests, family entities, and restrictions on transfer or access
- Equity awards, bonuses, deferred compensation, partnership interests, and carried interests
- Real estate, investment accounts, retirement benefits, pensions, and tax consequences
- Dissipation, incomplete disclosure, unusual transfers, and lifestyle evidence
- Liquidity, refinance obligations, security for future payments, and enforcement terms
How we approach the work
Complexity should sharpen the plan
A useful financial case map distinguishes classification, valuation, income, and cash flow. Those are related questions, but they are not interchangeable. A closely held company may be marital property, generate income for support, and still require adjustments to avoid counting the same economic benefit twice.
Proposals should be tested for implementation risk. A paper award is not enough if refinancing is impossible, an asset cannot be transferred, taxes consume the expected value, or payment security is undefined. Precision at settlement can prevent years of post-decree litigation.
Illinois family-law insights
Read before your next decision.
Frequently asked questions
Clear answers to the first questions.
Is property divided 50/50 in an Illinois divorce?
Not automatically. Illinois requires a just division of marital property after considering statutory factors. A just division may be equal in some cases and unequal in others.
Does title determine who owns an asset in divorce?
Title alone does not control classification. When and how the asset was acquired, the source of funds, agreements, gifts, inheritances, and later commingling may all matter.
Will a business always need a valuation expert?
No. The need depends on the ownership interest, available records, disputed value, income issues, and the range of realistic outcomes. Some cases can use reliable financial statements or an agreed process; others require expert analysis.
Can a spouse hide assets successfully?
Financial affidavits, tax records, account statements, subpoenas, depositions, business records, and forensic analysis can expose inconsistencies. The appropriate tools should be proportionate to the facts and the value at issue.