Boatman

Facts and Procedural History Clarkson (age 61) and Boatman (age 61) are licensed attorneys and have two adult children. After Clarkson and Boatman passed the California Bar exam in 1978, they moved to San Luis Obispo and established Clarkson & Boatman, a Professional Law Corporation. Boatman practiced family law. Clarkson worked as a conflict public defender, did criminal appeals and administrative law hearings, and became a civil litigator specializing in lemon law consumer cases. During the marriage, they built a single family residence, purchased a San Luis Obispo rental and two triplexes in Porterville, and bought a 48 percent interest in a commercial building in Ware, Massachusetts. Using her separate property, Boatman purchased the remaining interest in the building. During the marriage, Boatman received partnership income from the Boatman Family Partnership and purchased an office building in San Luis Obispo with her mother (now deceased). In 2007 and 2008, Clarkson (age 55) decided to retire early and withdraw from the active practice of law. Boatman was shocked to learn that Clarkson was no longer taking cases. Rather than work in the office, Clarkson gardened, golfed,…