Irvine, CA family law attorney Marc Garelick talks about how you can be sure your spouse is not hiding assets from you in a divorce. He notes that there are several ways to get a full picture of a spouse’s financial situation in a divorce. The first method is through disclosure. Family courts require each party to disclose all of their assets, debts, income, and expenses as part of the divorce process.

The second method is discovery. One of the most straightforward ways to uncover hidden assets is by examining bank accounts. He can subpoena the accounts, request documents related to them, and use other legal methods to obtain that information.

Finally, there are additional discovery tools. Depositions allow a spouse to sit down with their lawyer and answer questions under oath about assets, debts, income, and expenses. Interrogatories are another method, where the spouse must respond under penalty of perjury to specific written questions about assets, transfers, or financial activity. These steps together help build a complete financial picture.