Lawyers who handle divorce cases must know our tax law – especially regarding child support, maintenance, and marital property. Divorce lawyers often refer clients to a tax professional such as an accountant or a tax lawyer. But that’s not enough for a lawyer to avoid a potential malpractice lawsuit. For example, the tax professional may provide clearly wrong advice. Or the client might never obtain the recommended advice. In 2019, we had critical changes involving maintenance because it’s no longer deductible for cases entered on or after January 1, 2019 (at least through 2025).
Moreover, knowledge of divorce tax law allows you to help your clients save money through understanding the impact of the loss of dependency exemptions but the value of the under-age-17 child tax credit. I have found that in the average divorce case, knowledge of the basics of tax law often saves your clients thousands of dollars a year.
