Ryan Kuhn - an excellent attorney - thinking two steps ahead and accomplishing the near impossible
Ryan and his assistant, Jen, were very understanding and compassionate but yet professional and reasonable as they helped me file for divorce from my husband of 30 plus years. One of the first things Ryan said to me was… “ I am more expensive than a counselor, so if you want to chat about things not directly pertaining to the case, I will steer you back on track….but I recommend it is healthy to go seek out a counselor to help you emotionally get through the divorce.” Right from the start he was very conscious of a budget and kept things moving that were important to the case. He reminded me that somethings could cost more in attorney fees than were worth proving. Where I wanted to achieve something based on the principle of it, he steered me back to the cost that would be sacrificed to get it.
The divorce was complicated by the fact that I had put my career on hold to be a stay-home-mom to several children, allowing my husband to advance his career with the federal government and have all the perks related to early retirement eligibility, federal employee health benefits (FEHB), a government pension and a generous government matching Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). Although I had the same college degrees, education level, previous federal employment, and had recently picked up non-federal employment, I did not have the number of years to be eligible similar benefits. I counted on Ryan to weed through the confusing government rules and regulations pertaining to government “Spouse Equity,” “Survivor Spouse Annuity,” and “Federal Employees Health Benefits.” When my husband was adamant that he did not want to provide for the Survivor Spouse Annuity, Ryan was able to appeal to him and his attorney to have it provided because of the long marriage. Whatever Ryan did not know, he found out. He also has access to professional paralegals (at rates less than his) who are experts at dividing government retirement and TSP accounts based on individual cases. Ryan leveraged their information and guidance in preparing the court orders for the retirement division and the TSP division. Ryan is highly knowledgeable of the government retirement-type issues and an expert in the preparation of court orders specific to government retirement plans.
Although there were no longer any minor children, my case was further complicated by many other things, to include stock being held for an elderly parent with the intention that it would be returned to her if needed for her health care, multiple bank accounts, brokerage accounts, credit cards, student loans for a couple children, pages of personal belongings, hotel points, airline points, hidden cash, hidden trips, hidden debt, an adult child still in college-tuition, a house mortgage, a timeshare, multiple cars, some of which belonged to children, a dog, healthcare, dental and vision for adult children under the age 26, and the desire to be able to obtain federal healthcare when needed for myself.
One of the best ways to describe Ryan is that he has the mind of a chess player. He was always thinking one move ahead, and the topic of alimony comes to mind here (pros and cons)…. You’ll have to ask him.
Did the divorce cost more than expected? … Absolutely! But I am the reason for this. I can be wordy (this is probably the longest review on his page) and my emails long, but Ryan patiently answered every question, reminding me along the way to trust him, and that my wordiness and multiple questions would cost me more. I did not care because he was providing me with information which gave me peace of mind. He also obtained something that three other attorneys told me could not be done (ask him!). He is excellent, worth every penny.
Lastly, it is not in my nature to write reviews. I have made this one exception because Ryan and his assistant, Jen, deserve kudos for a job well done. A sincere Thank You Ryan for accomplishing the near impossible. May your practice thrive!
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