Sometimes supermodels don’t make superwives. Some hall of fame driven husbands get cut. Even the rich, beautiful, and glamorous catwalk away from a alluring marriage. This demonstrates that it truly happens to the best of us. Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen married in 2009 and had two children together. In 2022, Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champ and five-time Super Bowl MVP finalized his divorce from Gisele, who for a decade was the highest-paid supermodel of all time.
Reportedly, the brawn and the beauty had an ironclad prenuptial agreement, which made the divorce process and settlement faster and smoother than the typical high-asset breakup. Both parties had their own wealth entering the marriage and built their respective business empires individually before and during the marriage. Together they acquired quite the real estate portfolio with homes in Florida, the Bahamas, and Costa Rica to name a few.
In interviews, Brady doted about his wife’s entrepreneurial intelligence. Often joking that she is the smarter and richer of the two. It is said that Gisele has a net worth slightly higher than the QB. Her fortune is about $400 million dollars while Tom is worth about $330 million – not too shabby. He is also now the most eligible bachelor in the world, which has got to have some value! She is learning martial arts and has gotten quite close to her trainer.
This divorce was very low-key in comparison to many celeb splits, i.e., Kim & Kanye, or Johnny & Amber. The couple showed a high degree of respect for each other during the process, which is the best two parents can do for their children. Their kids, ages 12 and 9 will be doing ok! Their mom and dad seem to be co-parenting well, traveling with the kiddos to places we common people don’t even know exist. The exes agreed to make the kids their priority. Tom has a 15-year-old son from a previous relationship with another beauty, actress Bridget Moynahan.
Despite how easy they made it look, no divorce is free of pain or heartache especially when children are involved. It is a big decision. These two seem to be handling the split well. The Brazilian beauty is modeling again following Brady’s re-retirement. She has been spotted with her jiu-jitsu instructor enjoying herself on outings. She’s got deals that pay the bills from various contracts and endorsements past and present like Chanel, Dior, H&M, and her own line of sandals, Ipanema. Brady’s endorsements will surely keep the lights on. He is still working with Under Armor, where he has his own line of shoes, workout clothes, and sports gear. He is a global ambassador for the Swiss watch company, IWC, Aston Martin, T-Mobile, Upper Deck, UGG, and many more lucrative deals.
During marriage, the couple were both sued for their involvement with the now bankrupt, FTX crypto exchange platform. In exchange for promoting the platform, they received equity stakes in the company, which is labeled a big Ponzi scheme. The lawsuit is still pending in court and other famous athletes are named defendants. Maybe this added a little stress to the marriage. Money and legal battles can do that.
Unfortunately, the infamous Patriot now retired Buccaneer and the Brazilian babe couldn’t make it work. Although this article is fashionably late to the game, if you took anything from it, you will see that a prenup is the answer to amicably setting up terms before you put a Superbowl-sized ring on it. This divorce could have been supernasty with the business empires they each built individually as well as the real estate portfolio they acquired. Tom was right, Gisele is smart and business savvy – as was he. Entering a prenup is not a sign of distrust or lack of faith in the marriage but a way of protecting themselves in case of an unforeseen circumstance. Their prenup allowed them to settle out of court before a Petition for divorce was even filed. They were done without public scrutiny and without hundreds of thousands of dollars in attorneys’ fees and litigation. The divorce terms were settled and details finalized by the time the public first heard about the split. Maybe they learned from Johnny & Amber!?
You do not need to have the wealth of an NFL legend (GOAT to be specific) or a supermodel. Wealth is relative. Protect your interests, and let your prenup collect dust. Have the security that if a divorce happens, that dusty stack of papers is going to save you from a lot of headaches, loss of sleep, and lots of money spent.
Call MFLG today to see how a prenup can put some security in place for you and your future spouse. If you have recently tied the knot, it may not be too late for a postnup agreement. Call 951-534-5440 and learn.
September was Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month dedicated to raising awareness about ovarian cancer, supporting those fighting the disease, and remembering those we have lost to it. MFLG generously sponsored a team of co-workers to participate in taking some “teal steps” honoring the memory of Miruna Lujan’s mother, “Mona,” who lost her battle with ovarian cancer. Miruna is our loyal Sr. Associate Attorney and together the team wanted to honor her mom while showing support for her loss while making the walk together uplifting — literally by turning it into a hike!
September was Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month dedicated to raising awareness about ovarian cancer, supporting those fighting the disease, and remembering those we have lost to it. MFLG generously sponsored a team of co-workers to participate in taking some “teal steps” honoring the memory of Miruna Lujan’s mother, “Mona,” who lost her battle with ovarian cancer. Miruna is our loyal Sr. Associate Attorney and together the team wanted to honor her mom while showing support for her loss while making the walk together uplifting — literally by turning it into a hike!
Remembering a Loved One
At the heart of this event was the memory of Mona, a woman who fought ovarian cancer with courage and strength. Her story inspired the team to unite, not only to commemorate her life but also to support those impacted by ovarian cancer and to bring awareness to the cause. This disease certainly requires some heightened awareness and funding for research and care. Raising awareness about ovarian cancer is crucial, as early detection significantly improves the prognosis and survival rates for those diagnosed.
The walk was our gesture of solidarity, demonstrating that individuals affected by ovarian cancer are not alone and are very much cared about. Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month is a critical time to shed light on the impact of this disease and advocate for increased awareness, research, and support. Team MFLG for MONA was a caring tribute to Miruna’s mother, and may we remain inspired to continue our efforts in spreading awareness and supporting those fighting this battle as well as those who have lost their loved ones to it. Miruna and Mona are in our hearts.
When it comes to ending a marriage, people are most familiar with divorce as the primary legal avenue but often reach out asking about this annulment thing! Annulment is a less common option discussed. While both divorce and annulment result in the end of a marriage, they differ in several key ways.
An annulment is a legal procedure that declares a marriage null and void as if it never existed. Essentially, it erases marriage from a legal standpoint. Annulments are granted on specific grounds, which may vary by jurisdiction but typically include:
- Fraud or Misrepresentation: If one party lied or concealed important information before the marriage, such as a previous marriage, impotence, or criminal history.
- Bigamy: When one spouse is already married to someone else at the time of the marriage.
- Incest: In cases where the spouses are closely related by blood.
- Lack of Consent: If one party was forced or coerced into the marriage.
- Impotence: If one spouse is unable to engage in sexual intercourse and this was not disclosed before the marriage.
- Underage Marriage: When one or both parties were underage at the time of marriage without proper consent.
- Mental Incapacity: If one spouse lacked the mental capacity to understand the marriage contract.
Divorce, on the other hand, is the legal termination of a valid marriage. Unlike annulment, divorce acknowledges that a valid marriage once existed. Couples seeking divorce do not need to provide specific grounds as “irreconcilable differences” in the marriage is sufficient reason for divorce. California is a no-fault state. Divorce is the standard request for spouses who have grown apart or faced insurmountable challenges within their marriage.
Parties often come up with creative ways they believe meet the grounds for an annulment but it’s a rare request presented to the court and must be seriously analyzed so you don’t start the dissolution process on the wrong foot or create delays. Sound advice on this issue will come from an experienced family law attorney like those at Moore Family Law Group. To annul or not to annul? Call for a consultation with one of our skilled attorneys. Call 951-534-5440.
We are pleased to share that Chandra came on board with MFLG in April 2023. She has become a tremendous asset to the firm. Chandra immediately demonstrated that she is a strong litigator and in high demand. Her wealth of knowledge has been extremely helpful in further developing the strength of support staff and enhancing the firm’s processes.
Chandra is a Certified Family Law Specialist with over thirty years of experience handling family law litigation. With thousands of hearings under her belt, she has resolved a wide range of issues including multi-million-dollar estate characterization and division, characterization and valuation of businesses, high-wage earner child and spousal support, and high conflict child custody cases.
Chandra has authored several published articles on family law issues and is an award-winning fiction writer. She has served as the Inland Empire Legislative Liaison to FLEXCOM and served as the Advisory Board President for the non-profit arm of a local choral music performance group with which she performs, the Circle City Chorale. Chandra loves to travel and is an accomplished musician (piano/violin/vocal/organ). She resides with her college professor husband of over forty years and their three cats.
Question:
How do fees work? Do I have to retain or can I pay a flat fee?
Answer
Fee agreements can come in various forms. Starting from the lowest, you may qualify for limited-scope representation. This means that you really don’t want to keep an attorney on retainer, you just want an attorney to represent you at a hearing. It might be because you just don’t want an attorney, you can take over from here and save the funds. Sometimes it’s an important hearing that you just don’t know how to represent yourself but funds are limited. The hearing is important though because there are some serious issues on the calendar so it is crucial to have counsel argue for you in court. Then you pay for an attorney to represent you for one hearing for a flat fee.
Maybe at your consultation, it is clear that since both parties are in total agreement, document prep services are what you need. That might be a low-cost alternative to retaining the firm and keeping your firm on retainer for the course of your case will exceed what you really need.
Most commonly entered is an evergreen retainer agreement. You pay a fee, for example, $5,000 to retain the firm. That money gets put in a trust account and your legal team will get paid from that trust after the fees are earned. For example, you pay a $5,000 retainer on January 2nd, then your team works on your case and bills you on January 16. The total on your bill is $1,000. The firm will be paid $1,000 from the money you put into trust. Now your trust balance is $4,000. The fees must be earned. The bill is sent to the client to see the itemized charges and the new balance in their trust. Evergreen means that the client will continue to fund their trust account by adding more money into it so the team can work against it. Without funds, the team will not be able to work on the case. By adding funds you assure the team you still need/want their services.
Sometimes it is hard for clients to understand that their legal team will just stop working. Well, upon hiring the firm, a client will enter an agreement to fund their account and keep it funded so there is no interrupted service. If the account remains empty or the client will not communicate with respect to funds, a firm should consider the client no longer willing or able to pay attorneys’ fees. So if a client wants representation and proactivity on their case, a client needs to keep the account replenished or clearly communicate their intentions. It places the legal team in a very difficult situation when there is neither funds nor communication. Remember, your team wants to help you reach the goals you hired them for.
In any matter worth the battle, you will need to retain an attorney on an evergreen retainer. Also, make sure you always ask any questions when entering a fee agreement with a law firm. At MFLG, clients have two appointments where staff will go over their retainer with them to make sure they fully understand it, as well as the varying fees of all on their legal team. Clients can reach out to their Billing Specialist with any questions related to their invoices and keep the lines of communication open in that respect also.
- Where is the NFL Hall of Fame located?
- They sailed the oceans, trading with people of faraway lands, between the 8th and 11th centuries. Today, they loan their name to an NFL team that’s never won the Super Bowl. Who were they?
- Quite logically, which NFL team’s mascots include Edgar, Allan, and Poe?
- Canton, Ohio
- Vikings
- Baltimore Ravens
