Monday, March 23, 2015

IDFA to Host Divorce Professional’s National Conference May 7-9 in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS, LA. & DURHAM, N.C. -- The Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts (IDFA), the leading advocate for certification and education of financial professionals in the divorce arena, will be hosting the annual Divorce Professional’s National Conference May 7-9 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event will provide quality networking as well as presentations by influential legal and financial professionals discussing best practices and providing key updates on evolving issues such as pension strategies, cross-examination techniques, and changes in same-sex divorce.


“The legal and financial aspects of divorce are complex and ever-changing, having lasting impact on both parties that can either be mutually beneficial or absolutely crippling,” said Jessica Diggs, IDFA General Manager.

Diggs pointed to the fact that spouses are both responsible for debts incurred during their marriage, and the tricky nature of getting them paid-off and splitting up assets can leave newly divorced men and women in difficult financial straits.

Such issues will be examined by presenters at the Conference in addition to topics such as executive compensation; divorce dissipation and fraud topics; and the Certified Divorce Financial Advisor (CDFA) designation.

Well-known Circuit Court Judge Kathleen McCarthy will be delivering the keynote session on May 7 titled, “A View from the Bench” focused on family law issues. She will speak on her experiences presiding over divorce cases and talk about factors tipped the scales in the favor of one settlement versus another. Additionally, Judge McCarthy will cover how to effectively prepare for court and specifically how a CDFA fits into divorce proceedings. 

The Hon. Kathleen M. McCarthy has served in the Family Division of the Wayne County Circuit Court since her election to the bench in 2000, currently sitting on the court's executive committee. She is a past recipient of the "Judge of the Year Award," presented by DADS of Michigan and MOMS for DADS for her commitment to ensuring that children have frequent access to both parties, and recipient of the 5th Annual "Guardian of Justice Award," presented by ADC of Michigan. In addition, Judge McCarthy is an adjunct professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and has taught around the country for the Institute of Certified Divorce Financial Analysts since 2002.

Another popular session at the Conference will be “Same Sex Divorce” led by certified family law specialist David Horowitz who will touch on recent changes in the law and how it impacts attendees and their business. Now that the majority of the country recognizes same sex marriages as legal, there has been an increase in same sex divorce cases.

Horowitz’s practice focuses on family law and domestic relations matters, including collaborative divorce, mediation, custody and child support. He is a past President of Collaborative Divorce Professionals of Arizona, and serves on the Arizona Supreme Court’s Child Support Guidelines Review Committee and the State Senate’s Domestic Relations Committee. He also serves as a Judge Pro Tempore for the Maricopa County Superior Court.

Founded in 1993, IDFA provides specialized training to accounting, financial, and legal professionals in the field of pre-divorce financial planning. Over the years, the organization has certified more than 5,000 professionals in the U.S. and Canada as CDFA professionals.

The CDFA designation is awarded by IDFA to financial professionals, accountants, or matrimonial lawyers with a minimum of three years' experience who successfully complete a series of self-study course modules and pass an exam for module topics including financial and legal issues of divorce; advanced financial issues of divorce; tax issues of divorce; and working as a CDFA: case studies.

For more information or to register for the Conference, visit www.institutedfa.com.

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