Wells Family Law – PC

Wells Family Law

Our Firm

Litigation, Mediation, Collaboration

Wells Family Law focuses on the things that matter: preserving your assets, ensuring the well-being of you and your children, and assisting you through the difficult life transitions that accompany divorce, legal separation, and child custody disputes.  Our firm provides discreet family law services to high net worth individuals. While these life transitions can be profound, often accompanied by emotional issues that can exacerbate conflict, we provide compassionate counsel to our clients with insight into the entirety of their circumstances. It is our core values and skills that inform our approach to domestic issues.

Transcript

I think what’s different about our Law

Firm from other law firms is really our

focus on practical Solutions we bring a

lot to the table but you know there are

a lot of competent attorneys in Colorado

our goal though is really to provide uh

the type of services for complex

litigation and for collaborative divorce

in a way that doesn’t increase conflict

I’ve been through my own personal

divorce we’ve had people here who’ve

gone through Domestic Relations matters

and it’s really our goal to leave

parties better than we find them and

it’s really not our job to increase

conflict we have a duty to zealously

represent our clients but by the same

token I feel like despite the fact that

there’s no Hippocratic Oath in law we

also have a duty to not to create damage

in families so I think really what sets

us apart is our focus on getting people

through this process in a way that makes

sense and that provides them with

solutions they can live with

foreign

so my background actually before coming

to family law was in the area of

executive compensation for Fortune 500

companies as a result my area of focus

really is in complex issues related to

stock rates closely held businesses High

asset issues High income issues but we

also provide services related to

Parenting plans relocation alienation

post-degree issues pretty much

everything that touches on Domestic

Relations we’re there

foreign

I have some pretty strong feelings about

this I really think people should

really look for an attorney who is going

to run their case the way they want it

to be run there are people out there

that want to have the biggest fight ever

and they really want to hire a bulldog

but there are people whose focus is

really on making sure that they are able

to co-parent with with their children’s

father or Mother after the divorce

people who have complex issues that

maybe shouldn’t go in front of a judge

because a judge won’t be able to figure

them out I think it’s really important

that people hire the attorney who’s

going to be able to run their case in

the way that they want it run I think

there was recently a movie called a

marriage story that expressed this very

well and that is that both parties sort

of had an agreement that they were not

going to have a terrible divorce and

that there wasn’t that much to divide

and then one the wife hired an attorney

who you know ran the case and created a

storyline for the case that seemed very

different to the husband than what he

thought the case was about and then

husband had to go hire litigation

counsel and the next thing you knew both

parties were sitting in court and their

case was being driven by the attorney’s

view of the case and not by their own

view of the case so focusing on ensuring

that you’re hiring the attorney who will

run the case the way you want it to be

run is very important and if it turns

out you’ve hired an attorney who’s

running the case in a direction you’re

not interested in it’s never too late to

switch counsel

Transcript

How are vested and unvested stock rights treated in a Colorado divorce?

0:04

so stock rates is a general term that

0:06

encompasses a lot of different types of

0:09

equity compensation things like stock

0:12

options restricted stock restricted

0:14

stock units sometimes we see Phantom

0:16

stock rights or stock appreciation

0:18

rights all of those are forms of

0:20

executive compensation and all of them

0:24

can be very complex and very different

0:25

there’s no uh format that’s sort of

0:28

generally governs those rights although

0:31

the Internal Revenue code does play into

0:33

it but every single plan is different

0:35

every award agreement is different and

0:38

the difficulty is in Colorado vesting is

0:41

not determinative when you’re looking at

0:43

whether or not a stock right is marital

0:45

property so everyone comes into my

0:47

office and says I don’t have to worry

0:49

about the stock options they’re not

0:51

vested yet so once they vest we’ll

0:53

already be divorced and it’s my separate

0:55

property the law in Colorado is very

0:57

clear that vesting is not determinative

0:59

so instead we have to look to the

1:02

contract the plan document any

1:04

amendments any award agreements

1:06

sometimes it’s in the employment

1:08

agreement sometimes in the severance

1:10

agreement we have to look at the

1:11

contract that provides the benefit and

1:14

determine whether there’s a presently

1:16

enforceable right if there’s a presently

1:18

enforceable right regardless of whether

1:20

or not the stock rate is vested you’ve

1:22

got marital property now I’m getting

1:26

into what forms it presently enforceable

1:28

right it’s a very long and involved

1:30

process but it really boils down to are

1:33

there any circumstances under the plan

1:34

where the person who’s received the

1:36

award could get the stock right before

1:39

investing is there a provision that says

1:42

they can get it if they die or they

1:43

become disabled during the vesting

1:45

period sometimes there are Provisions

1:47

that say if there’s a change in control

1:48

of the corporation during the vesting

1:50

period their vesting will accelerate

1:52

those sorts of Provisions that provide

1:54

that people can get that award before

1:56

the end of the vesting period will

1:58

create property in Colorado and we have

2:01

to address that and unfortunately

2:02

there’s no formula you have to read

2:04

those documents and understand what they

2:06

say in order to determine whether or not

2:07

there’s property right

From Kristi’s interview for the Masters of Family Law series on ReelLawyers.com.

Integrity

We are dedicated to providing our clients with the highest standards of legal representation.  Whether protecting our clients’ privacy, advocating for our clients in court, or providing our honest and thoughtful assessments of each client’s needs based on their unique circumstances, our knowledge of the law and practical experience are recognized throughout the family law community.

Expertise

Expertise comes from experience. Our team of award-winning attorneys bring more than 35 years of combined experience to analyzing the unique issues raised in your case.  Our paralegal and legal assistant add more than 68 years of combined experience.  The breadth and depth of that experience makes our team uniquely positioned to respond strategically and with sensitivity to your case.  Whether preparing for or engaging in settlement negotiations, mediations, arbitrations, collaborations and, if necessary, litigation, our team is equipped to assist you in virtually all domestic cases.

Problem Solving

We focus on innovative and creative solutions uniquely tailored to each client’s needs. For cases both simple and complex, we work to obtain the best possible outcome for our clients.  When all reasonable attempts to settle issues by agreement have been exhausted, our attorneys are well prepared to present in the courtroom.

Service

Divorce can be an upsetting and unsettling life experience. Our goal is is to represent you with empathy and sensitivity, particularly where children are concerned.  Whether in divorce, custody, or unmarried partner litigation, we are dedicated to utilizing creative thinking and common sense to achieve the best possible result for our clients as they proceed towards a new and happier life.
Wells Family Law Attorneys & Staff

Our Team

Kristi Wells

Kristi Anderson Wells

Shareholder

Chelsea M. Augelli

Chelsea M. Augelli

Shareholder

Ashley Adabahr

Ashley Adabahr

Paralegal

Leah Isaacson

Leah Isaacson

Office Manager

Maddi Knight

Madi Knight

Paralegal

Julie Clemmer

Julie Clemmer

Legal Assistant

Finn, the Greeter Dog

Finn

Greeter

Address

1660 Lincoln Street, Suite 1525 Denver, Colorado 80264

Phone & Fax

Phone 303-309-1077

Fax 720-677-0110

Parking

Accessed on Sherman Street

Kristi Anderson Wells - Rated by Super LawyersKristi Anderson Wells - Rated by Super Lawyers Top 50 Women in Colorado Kristi Anderson Wells - Rated by Super Lawyers Top 100 in Colorado Kristi Anderson Wells - Recognized by Best Lawyers - 2022     Chelsea Augelli Super Lawyers Rising Star IACP - International Academy of Collaborative ProfessionalsKristi Anderson Wells - Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Rated for Highest Level of Professional Excellence 2021Kristi Anderson Wells - Avvo Rating 10.0 Top AttorneyKristi Anderson Wells - Recognized by Best Lawyers - 2022Chelsea Augelli - Best Lawyers "Ones to Watch" 2024