A thorough report "changes the nature of the debate in court

Should you prepare a full valuation report for a divorce case that's likely to settle?   Attorney Mark Sobel, speaking at today's BVR Divorce Summit in Chicago, argues that you should.   This conflicts to some degree with the idea that the more information you present, the more openings you offer for opposing counsel.   But, Mark believes that a comprehensive report sends important subliminal messages.  "It says that you've done you're work, and if settlement isn't achieved, you're ready to go to trial.  That changes the nature of the settlement discussions."

"As an appraiser, you can help the lawyers by explaining how much work goes into a valuation report," Mark argues.  "You can put 50 hours into a one page normalization adjustment analysis."  So, Mark also feels longer reports help with settlement simply because he can argue that "30 days is not enough to examine an opposing report."   The judge will then face the choice of more time and cost, or looking for ways to settle differences early.

You can still dial in to hear the proceedings from Chicago live.   Email davidf@bvresources.com and I'll send you a free password for this critical CPE/CLE event.