El Paso Spousal Support Attorney
Spousal support – also called alimony and spousal maintenance – is a payment system that is designed to help a spouse who faces a financial disadvantage upon divorce find better financial footing. While spousal support isn’t a factor in every divorce, it may play an important role in yours, and if appropriate, it should not be discounted. If you have questions or concerns regarding spousal support, seek the professional legal guidance of an experienced El Paso spousal support attorney today.
Spousal Support
Spousal support is intended for those situations in which one spouse experiences a financial downturn upon a divorce (and/or as the divorce pends), and the other has the financial ability to help alleviate this problem. Generally, spousal support is temporary, but the amount and duration are based on wide-ranging considerations. The duration of spousal support typically correlates closely with the length of the marriage. Because every marriage and divorce are utterly unique, the court has considerable discretion when it comes to awarding spousal support.
The Court’s Determination
In determining spousal support in your divorce, the court will take all the following considerations into careful account:
- The duration of your marriage
- Each spouse’s ability to provide for your own reasonable needs moving forward
- Each spouse’s individual employment skills and the time it would take you (as the spouse seeking support) to obtain the education and/or job training necessary to become financially independent
- Each spouse’s age, employment history, earning capacity, and physical and mental health
- Each spouse’s ability to meet their own financial needs while also meeting child support responsibilities (as applicable)
- Whether or not your spouse (as the spouse being requested to pay spousal support) wasted, hid, got rid of, or otherwise disposed of marital property
- Whether or not either of you contributed to the other’s education, job training, or overall earning power during the course of your marriage
- The separate property that each of you brought into the marriage
- Any homemaker contributions each spouse provided
- Any marital misconduct, including adultery and cruel treatment, that either of you engaged in (this can negate your right to spousal support or can increase your soon-to-be-ex’s obligation to pay spousal support)
- Any history of domestic violence on the part of your spouse (as the spouse being requested to pay spousal support)
If, for example, you left your career to support your spouse’s dream of becoming a successful doctor – through med school and beyond – and after 25 years, you find yourself facing a divorce, the facts of your case are very likely to lead to a spousal support award.
A Dedicated El Paso Spousal Support Attorney Can Help
Our El Paso spousal support attorney at the office of Richard Deck, Attorney & Counselor at Law, PLLC, has the experience, drive, and legal insight necessary to help protect your right to fair spousal support. For more information about what we can do to help you, please don’t hesitate to contact us online or call us at 915-532-1122 today.