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Michigan Law - Professional Degrees Professional degrees are marital property in Michigan. This means that the court attempts to put a value on the professional degree to the holder, and award a portion of that value to the other part. Lewis vs. Lewis, 181 Mich App 1 (In this case, the court awarded the wife 50% of the value of the husband's MBA degree. The court made the award despite the fact that the degree was acquired with little expense, and that neither party was at fault for the breakdown of the marriage. Although the parties were married for most of the time the husband earned his degree, he only got it after the parties had separated. The court determined the husband's degree, even though it did not guarantee an increase in earnings, to be the end product of a concerted family effort involving mutual sacrifices. While the husband studied and attended classes the wife took care of the kids. She may have otherwise used the time to pursue her own interests or to further her own education. At the time of the divorce, the wife was earning $31,000 a year while the husband was earning $44,000. The parties had two children during the marriage, aged twenty and seventeen. In the 50/50 split of the marital estate, the husband was awarded the marital home and a lakefront property. The wife was awarded $39,000 in cash, and $400 per month child support. The court also awarded the wife $21,000 in monthly installments, to compensate her for her part in the husband's MBA degree. The court based its valuation of the degree upon the overall division of the parties' marital property, the extent of financial support the husband got while he worked toward the degree, and the length of the marriage after he got the degree. The court made the degree an element of property settlement rather than alimony. It did this because alimony would end upon the wife's remarriage, and the court wanted to be sure that the wife would receive the full value of her share of the husband's MBA degree, even if the wife remarried.) Wilkins (1986) 149 Mich App 779 (In this case the court determined the husband's advanced degrees to be marital property. To compensate the wife for the concerted family investment in the husband's degrees, she was awarded lump sum alimony of $25,000 to be paid over five years. Although an expert testified that the degrees had a combined value of $900,000, the husband's employer testified that the degrees had no effect upon his employment with the company. The wife was also awarded $12,000 a year in permanent alimony, and two-thirds of the parties' equity in the marital home or $25,000. Overall, the wife was awarded $44,000 or 68% of the marital estate while the husband received $21,000 or 32%. In its division of property, the court blamed the husband's infidelity for the breakup of the marriage. In addition the husband was ordered to pay $20,000 annually in child support. During their 16 year marriage the parties had three children, aged 10, 7, and 5 at the time of the divorce.)
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