' stroke-linecap='round' stroke-miterlimit='10' stroke-width='2' d='M4 7h22M4 15h22M4 23h22'/></svg>)
Fenchel Family Law Managing Attorney Laura Chickering authored a guest article for Advisor Perspectives, a publication for financial advisors, on how financial professionals add value in divorce cases involving cryptocurrency and other digital assets.
Drawing on a high-asset divorce, Chickering describes how a client’s roughly 10,000 cryptocurrency transactions — $1.7 million in cumulative transaction volume — were initially read by opposing counsel as income, a misunderstanding that could have significantly increased the client’s potential spousal support and attorney fee obligations. In reality, the activity reflected trading and transfers rather than realized income, and declarations from the client’s CPA and financial advisor clarified the figure, documented the estate, and traced inherited assets.
Chickering explains that digital assets do not need to be hidden to create substantial exposure in a divorce, and that bringing in financial professionals early — and coordinating with CPAs, counsel, and forensic experts — can keep incomplete information from driving support, fee, and settlement decisions.
