Advocating on Your Behalf and Looking After Your Interests
The award, denial or reservation of spousal support, also called maintenance or alimony, must be determined before your divorce can be finalized. Either an agreement will be reached between you and your spouse, or the Court will determine, whether one person will have to pay maintenance to the other and if so, how much and for how long. Attorney Nicholas W. Richardson can advocate on your behalf and present your specific situation in Court and explain both the legal and tax ramifications of maintenance.
Palatine Alimony Lawyer
Maintenance can be structured in many ways, is not subject to guideline percentages of income or, in most cases, a specific termination event, and The Law Office of Nicholas W. Richardson, P.C., can advise you of options and help direct you toward the most advantageous alternative to maintenance or structured maintenance award.
The Process
Both temporary orders and/or the judgment for dissolution of marriage may call for payment of maintenance. Unlike child support, there are no percentage guidelines to determine the amount and duration of maintenance, but rather a series of factors, including but not limited to the:
- Duration of the marriage
- Relative earnings of each spouse
- Education of each spouse
- Lifestyle established during the marriage
- Relative health of each spouse
- Ability of each spouse to earn income in the future.
Please call our office at 847.423.8785 (toll free: 866.604.3763) or contact us online to request a FREE initial consultation.
Modification
Like child support, maintenance may be modified in certain situations, its term may be extended, or it may be terminated based upon a substantial change in circumstances; however, once maintenance is waived or denied by the Court in a final Order, it is forever barred and neither spouse can seek it from the other in the future. Maintenance can be, in essence, bought out by a lump sum payment or by a disproportionate division of marital assets. Unlike child support, the award of maintenance also carries with it certain tax consequences to each party.
