High-Asset Divorce in Collin County

Three Decades of Family Law. A Financial Background Most Attorneys Don’t Have.

Texas is a community property state, meaning most assets acquired during a marriage belong equally to both spouses and are subject to division in a divorce. When those assets include business interests, investment portfolios, executive compensation, and real estate, getting the division right demands both legal strategy and financial precision. Lisa Baker Canterberry, Attorney At Law represents clients in Collin County high-asset divorce matters from offices in Richardson and McKinney, with over three decades of family law practice behind every case.

If your divorce involves significant assets or business interests in Collin County, contact Lisa Baker Canterberry, Attorney At Law at (214) 367-5026 to speak directly with Attorney Canterberry about your situation.

What Makes a Divorce “High-Asset” in Texas

A high-asset divorce involves more than a high net worth. It involves property categories that are difficult to value, hard to trace, or subject to genuine dispute over whether they qualify as community or separate property. Separate property, which includes assets owned before marriage or received as a gift or inheritance, is generally not subject to division. But that line blurs when businesses grow during a marriage, when accounts commingle, or when one spouse holds significant unvested stock options.

Common categories requiring close attention in a Collin County high-asset divorce include:

• Business interests: Closely held and family-owned businesses require professional valuation before any settlement figure can be established.
• Retirement accounts and pensions: Dividing these assets without triggering tax penalties typically requires a qualified domestic relations order, a court order directing the plan administrator to pay a portion of the benefit to the non-participant spouse.
• Stock options and executive compensation: Determining which portion vested during the marriage and which did not adds complexity to the overall estate valuation.
• Real estate holdings: Multiple properties, investment real estate, and commercial holdings each require a separate appraisal.
• Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements: These agreements can significantly affect how assets are characterized and divided, and their enforceability must be assessed early in the process.

Attorney Canterberry’s Financial Background

Before earning her law degree, Attorney Canterberry earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an accounting concentration from the University of Oklahoma and passed the CPA exam in 1987. She worked as an internal auditor in the banking industry and then at Grant Thornton, where she audited manufacturing, retail, non-profit, and banking clients. That background gives her a working fluency with financial statements, business records, and valuation methodologies that many family law attorneys don’t have.

When she reviews a business valuation report or a set of financial disclosures in a complex divorce, she reads it the way an auditor would. Clients work directly with Attorney Canterberry throughout the process, not with associates or paralegals, and she holds an AV Preeminent rating. Having personally navigated the divorce process herself, she also understands what clients are managing outside the conference room.

Identifying Hidden or Undervalued Assets

A concern that arises frequently in high-asset cases is whether a spouse is concealing, transferring, or undervaluing marital property. Under Texas law, attempting to hide or dissipate assets during a divorce can create serious legal complications. Thorough discovery, forensic accounting support, and careful review of financial records are the tools used to surface what should be on the table for division.

Accurately valuing all community and separate property is the foundation of any equitable settlement. That process often involves appraisals of real property, independent business valuations, and review of retirement account statements to establish the marital and non-marital portions. High-asset divorces can take longer to resolve than standard cases because this work can’t be shortcut without putting a client’s financial future at risk.

How a High-Asset Divorce Moves Through Collin County Courts

Collin County’s district courts handle divorce and property division matters. In a contested case, the process generally follows asset and debt identification, independent valuation, negotiation between counsel, and mediation before anything goes to trial. Mediation and collaborative divorce offer couples with complex or business assets a framework for reaching customized agreements rather than leaving property division to a judge applying a just-and-right standard with less context than the parties themselves have.

Not every high-asset divorce in Collin County becomes a full trial. Many resolve through negotiated settlement once valuations are complete and both sides have accurate information. Lisa Baker Canterberry, Attorney At Law’s approach is to prepare every case as though it will go to litigation, so the negotiating position is grounded in documented facts, while remaining open to efficient resolution when the facts support it.

Discuss Your Case with Attorney Canterberry

A high-asset divorce in Collin County calls for an attorney who can navigate Texas property division law and read the financial documents that drive it. Attorney Canterberry brings both. Clients receive direct communication and personalized attention from intake through resolution, with no handoffs to associates or paralegals along the way.

Contact Lisa Baker Canterberry, Attorney At Law at (214) 367-5026 to schedule a consultation about your high-asset divorce matter in Collin County.