Spousal Support

In California, alimony payments are also sometimes referred to as spousal support, or spousal maintenance. Whether you're the one who is ordered to make spousal maintenance payments, or the one seeking payments, the amount of alimony that is established by the court can influence your finances for many years. Seek legal help before you agree to a figure. There are several considerations that you must account for before you agree to spousal support, and a Beverly Hills spousal support attorney can help you accomplish this. Speak to a divorce attorney at the Citadel Law Corporation about protecting your rights in spousal support cases.

The state has several guidelines that you may consider, when determining the amount of spousal support or alimony payment in your case. Each case is reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and courts will have a lot of discretion when it comes to determining alimony.

A California court may consider the following factors to influence the amount of alimony in your case.

• The earning capacity of each party to maintain the same standard of living as maintained during the marriage
• Whether the person receiving the spousal maintenance has received financial support for education, training, or other career enhancements by the person making the payments
• The ability of the person making the payments to pay support (this will depend on whether he has suffered periods of unemployment before, and other factors)
• The duration of the marriage
• The needs of each party based on the standard of living that they enjoyed during the marriage
• The age of the parties
• The ability of the person receiving the payments to work for an income

Typically, you can expect alimony payments to be ordered for half the length of the marriage, if the marriage was less than 10 years old. However, in marriages that last longer than 10 years, there may not be a maximum duration for the alimony payments. if the person who's making the payments wants to stop paying support at some point in time, it is his responsibility to prove that payments are no longer necessary.

If you're considering divorce and want to know how much alimony you could be eligible for, or how much spousal support you may have to pay, speak to an Orange County family lawyer at the Citadel Law Corporation. Remember, once a court order is decreed, it is difficult to modify. Making mistakes during this stage can prove expensive for you. Call 800-662-0882 to speak with a Beverly Hills spousal support attorney, and discuss your case.