Spousal Support Law
Determining what kind of spousal support you will receive, or be required to pay, can be difficult.
It’s vital you have someone that knows what you’re entitled to and who understands Alabama family law.
Spousal Support
While going through a divorce, you and your soon-to-be former spouse may need to discuss alimony and spousal support.
If one of you doesn’t work or there’s a significant difference in your incomes, the court may determine that the person who earns more money needs to pay alimony for a specific amount of time.
Montgomery Alimony Lawyer
Here at The KJ Law Firm, Kristine Jones has the expertise needed to handle family law cases dealing with alimony.
She uses her experience and her knowledge of alimony law to help every one of our clients receive the spousal support they need to maintain their lifestyle after a divorce.
Alimony Requirements
In Alabama, the court will determine alimony based on need and many other factors.
No set formula or checklist will determine if alimony should be awarded. Instead, the court will look at factors such as how long you were married, both parties’ incomes, what assets are involved, your health and age, and other factors.
The court is given a significant amount of discretion in this area, so having a good alimony lawyer on your side is very important to present the most persuasive case possible.
Different Types of Alimony
Alabama law outlines a few different types of alimony a spouse can be awarded.
Just like there’s no set formula for calculating how much alimony is paid, there are no hard rules that determine what type of spousal maintenance the judge awards.
Temporary Alimony
Temporary alimony is usually ordered at the beginning of the divorce process when one of the parties doesn’t work.
The payer gives the recipient a set amount of money weekly, biweekly, or monthly for a specified period. Once that period is up, alimony is no longer paid.
Occasionally, a judge will order one spouse to pay a one-time lump sum of alimony. This is relatively rare, however.
Permanent Alimony
Permanent alimony often no longer means that one spouse will pay the other for the rest of their lives.
Instead, it’s defined more as long-term payments for several years or more. These more extended alimony payments are usually only ordered when the couple has been married for several decades or more.
The KJ Law Firm 