Emerging from a divorce in the best situation possible often requires more than just legal considerations. Many people have divorce teams that consist of an attorney, a divorce financial advisor, and sometimes even a therapist. In addition, some people find hiring a vocational expert to be beneficial. Even though divorce involves more than just legal issues, having a strong understanding of one’s legal rights is important in every divorce.

Why consider a vocational expert? According to a recent article in Forbes, vocational experts evaluate a person’s qualifications against what the current job market desires. They assess both the likelihood a person can find employment and what they can expect to earn in both the short- and long-term. These experts can help people in a divorce in a few different ways.

They can assess how much earning potential a person’s spouse has. Sometimes, the spouse who earned more money during a marriage will try to determine alimony or child support based off a lower income than they have received throughout the marriage. They may use underhanded tactics to lower these payments. Vocational experts can see these tactics are being used and provide an estimate for what a spouse’s earning potential actually is.

These experts can also help a divorcing individual determine his or her earning potential. This is especially important if a parent has left the workforce to care for children. A vocational expert can help determine what size salary an individual’s qualifications are capable of commanding to help ensure the settlement is based on fair assumptions.

Having other professionals help in a divorce can be very beneficial. However, knowing one’s legal rights is still very important to protecting oneself in a divorce.

Source: Forbes, “Four reasons why a woman needs a vocational expert on her divorce team,” Jeff Landers, Oct. 24, 2012