Employer provided life insurance is subject to ERISA. I only know of a few states that have laws permitting a trial court to order a Participant to continue to carry life insurance for the benefit of an Alternate Payee. See:
Rollins v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, 863 F.2d 1346 (7th Cir., 1988) - Indiana
Head v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, 449 N.W.2d 449 (Minn., 1990)
Perkins v. Stuemke, 223 Ill.App.3d 839, 585 N.E.2d 1125, 166 Ill.Dec. 103 (1992)
Life insurance in generally agreed to by the parties to guarantee that the obligations of the agreement are fulfilled, e.g. payment of alimony and child support, college for the children, and also as a potentially cheaper substitute for a defined benefit plan. (Premiums are usually less than the actuarial cost of a defined benefit plan and the proceeds are tax free.)
I have spent 32 years involved in preparing QDROs and studying ERISA as well as the laws and regulations governing all of the other Federal, State, County, City, and International agency Plans.
There are over 980,000 pension and retirement plans in the USA. About 960,000 are covered by ERISA.
You would do well to advise your client to work out a settlement.