People have been living in the Los Lunas area for hundreds of years (or maybe much longer if the Decalogue Stone is real!). But life here isn’t the same as it was 400, 100, 50, or even 10 years ago. What was once a small ranching community, then a stop on old Route 66, is now a tech and warehousing hub.
The pace and magnitude of this change has made Los Lunas one of the fastest growing cities in New Mexico. And by many measures, life here is very good. But there are plenty of people who claim that things are moving too fast, and the community has changed too much.
This echoes the predicament many families in the Los Lunas area find themselves in. Things look good from the outside, but inside there has been a shift. When relationships come to this point, it is time to seek the assistance of an experienced family law attorney. Bob Matteucci of Matteucci Family Law can help you forge a path forward while protecting your family and your wealth.
Protecting Your Family
In Los Lunas, family is important. And it has been from the start. The town is named after the Luna family, which raised thousands of sheep in Valencia County in the 1800s. Despite the many changes Valencia County has undergone since then, descendants of those original ranchers still call this area home.
The ties that bind families to one another, and families to a particular area are difficult to sever. Even divorce does not tear families completely apart. Partners who have children must learn to co-parent while sharing custody of their children and paying or receiving child support. Co-business owners must figure out how to work together or fairly divide their assets. And some divorcees receive or pay alimony or spousal support to their partner years after their marriage ends.
Divorce doesn’t completely destroy the family you have made. But it will reshape the way you interact with your loved ones and the plans you have for the future. Attorney Bob Matteucci can help you process this change and move forward with your life.
Preserving Your Wealth
New Mexico is a community property state. This means there is a presumption that any property acquired during the marriage is owned equally by both spouses. In many instances, it doesn’t matter who paid for a certain asset or whose name is on the title, at divorce it will be divided equally between the spouses.
This law exists to ensure that nobody is trapped in a marriage just because they can’t afford to get out. And it recognizes the important role spouses play in one another’s lives. For example, the financial success of the partner who is the breadwinner is often enabled by the partner who runs the household and makes sure the kids get to soccer practice on time. Both deserve to walk away from the marriage with a fair share of what they built together.
But splitting up assets is not as simple as dividing by two. Most couples own things like a house or retirement accounts, which cannot easily be chopped in half. Other couples own businesses together, or have invested in illiquid but value assets. The easiest solution is selling everything off and dividing the proceeds, but that is often not the best way to maximize value or ensure both parties are secure in their post-divorce future.
Attorney Bob Matteucci steps into these cases and helps divorcing couples negotiate a separation agreement that makes sense in their specific situation. Thanks to his business background — before earning his J.D. with a concentration in Business Law from the University of New Mexico, Bob graduated from Tulane University with an MBA and was the owner of a profitable shoe store that generated over $5,500,000 in annual sales — Bob knows how to dig into complex financial documents and estimate the value of illiquid and indivisible assets. He can also suggest ways to apportion the value of these assets in a manner that does not diminish their utility.
Planning for Your Post-Divorce Future
As a seasoned family law attorney, and a divorcee, Attorney Bob Matteucci understands better than most people the toll a divorce can take on you and your loved ones. Divorce is not just a legal process, it is an emotional rollercoaster.
As legal counsel, it is part of Bob’s job to help you process the ups and downs and decide what your life is going to look like post-divorce. Looking to the future is how Bob ensures the steps you take during your divorce set the stage for what comes after it.
Pathways to Divorce
In this day and age, there are several different paths to divorce. Once you have an idea of what you want your post-divorce life to look like, and know how it is going to impact your family and your finances, Attorney Bob Matteucci can help you decide what type of divorce is right for you.
- Self-Help Divorce – If you have only been married a short amount of time, you don’t have any children or significant assets or debts, and you agree with your soon-to-be-former partner on all aspects of your separation, you can use the New Mexico court system’s self-help forms to divorce without the assistance of an attorney.
- Traditional Divorce – The majority of divorces filed by people in Los Lunas are traditional divorces. One party files for divorce, and serves the other with divorce papers, and each spouse hires an attorney to represent their interests. The attorneys will negotiate the terms of the divorce, and draft all the documents that need to be filed with the court — like a marital settlement agreement, parenting plan, and petition for dissolution. Sometimes it is also necessary to hire a third party settlement facilitator to smooth the negotiation process. The vast majority of couples reach an agreement that avoids the need to litigate their divorce in open court.
- Mediated Divorce – Mediation is the preferred choice of couples who generally agree on the terms of their divorce but need assistance resolving a few high-stakes conflicts or fairly dividing complex assets. The mediator, a neutral third party, works towards steering both sides to a mutually acceptable resolution, and drafts all the paperwork necessary to formalize the divorce.
- Collaborative Divorce – Couples in the Los Lunas area who still trust and respect one another, but no longer want to be married to each other, are increasingly opting for collaborative divorces. Attorney Bob Matteucci is one of a handful of lawyers in New Mexico who are certified to guide couples through this process, which relies on the assistance of professionals like financial planners and counselors.
Determining which type of divorce is right for you will depend on you and your former partner’s attitudes and goals.
Serving Families with Dignity & Compassion
When you get to the point that you no longer recognize the person you have become, the relationship you are in, or the path you are on, Attorney Bob Matteucci is here for you. Bob can help you embrace the change in your life and find a way to move forward. Contact him today to schedule a meeting and discuss your case.