In this day and age where roughly half of all marriages end up in divorce court, you must sign a pre-nup. There is no good excuse not to. It might not be romantic, but it is something that you and your SO have to confront.
Anyway, I remember reading from "Medical Economics" that the worst fear of a plantiff's lawyer is when the physician/defendant declares bankruptcy. Now I am just a med student, not a lawyer or a businessman or financial advisor.
http://www.singerxenos.com/new/singerxenos/newsletter.asp?storyid=1612926312
Some selected quotes from the above website
"some doctors found it beneficial to declare voluntary bankruptcy. Contrary to popular belief, bankruptcy is not a dirty word, but rather a process in which the physician can retain all their protected assets and have their malpractice judgments discharged. It essentially wipes the slate clean. Unlike a malpractice case, which takes 4-6 years and is psychologically grueling for a physician, a voluntary bankruptcy can be completed in 30-60 days. Of course, we always attempt to settle cases without going to bankruptcy. It should be noted that in most cases where doctors went through bankruptcy, the $250,000 financial responsibility was discharged by the court and the physician was able to retain their medical license."
"Over the years, we learned that being prepared to declare bankruptcy is actually the best way to fight a malpractice claim. We believe that plaintiff attorneys are primarily motivated by their ability to get awards for their clients, and thus be compensated through the contingency system. It can be very effective in some cases to argue the financial reality of a case rather than the medical merits."
however, keep in mind that the above situation only deals with physicians who decide to go "bare". But discuss this with a lawyer, a financial consultant/advisor, or other appropriate professionals to get the best advice.
Anyway, that's my $0.02
Group_theory
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