Divorce doesn’t just rip at your heart; it can also shred your quality of life into pieces. Not only must you worry about your and your children’s emotional well-being and recovery, but your physical care and financial stability will naturally weigh heavily on your mind. This is especially true if you didn’t work throughout the marriage, but rather took on the enormous task of staying at home to care for your children and your household. You may fear that you will not be able to find steady and adequate employment due to your lack of experience and training. Or perhaps something such as a debilitating illness is permanently preventing you from working. If you find yourself in one of these or a similarly difficult financial circumstance, then requesting spousal support (or alimony) during your divorce is an option for you. Should the judge grant you the support, it will require that your ex-husband or ex-wife provide you with a certain amount of money to help you attain the same standard of living you had during the marriage. It can ease your worries and help you support yourself and your loved ones. Perhaps, however, you are on the opposite side of the litigation. Maybe you have had spousal support requested of you or are currently paying support, but find that the amount is impeding your own ability to care for yourself and your children. Whatever your circumstance maybe, if you are worried that you can no longer support yourself and feel that extra provision is needed to help you get back on your feet, call us for a Free Case Evaluation. We can help you understand exactly what alimony means and how spousal support is calculated, and from there craft a compelling case to sway the judge to your side. Seeking a peaceful end to a chaotic marriage should not be met with financial punishment, and you deserve to seek the support you need to provide for yourself and your family.
There are several different types of alimony in California, each designed for a specific purpose. It is important to note that none of these are guaranteed, as Riverside county does not have specific criteria that you can meet to automatically grant you support. It is not the same as child support, since it is assumed that you and your spouse will be able to support yourselves as adults. Thus, any type of spousal support must be requested by one spouse and mandated by the judge. The request will only be granted if you can prove that the funds are necessary to help you achieve close to or the same economic situation you lived in during the marriage. Alimony can be temporary, which means that it is only paid during the divorce and not after Riverside family courts finalize the process. It can also continue after you and your spouse are already separated. Most often, alimony is meant to be rehabilitative, or as a stepping stone to help you attain the skills, training, and/or experience necessary to attain employment. Another lesser-known type of alimony is designed to reimburse you for a large amount of money that you may have spent on your spouse (e.g. if you paid for your spouse’s college tuition during the marriage). Or, if you are completely unable to work due to injury or illness, or another incapacitating circumstance, permanent alimony may be granted.
Spousal support in California can be a grueling topic to discuss during divorce since it has given rise to many heated arguments in the past. However, Schank& Associates have successfully guided numerous people through the process, and know exactly how to persuade the judge in your favor, even in the face of harsh contention from your spouse. How the judge calculates spousal support in Riverside county depends on a number of factors, most important of which are both spouse’s current salaries, their ability to work and/or find employment after the divorce, the standard of living they had during the marriage, the number of children they care for and who has physical custody over them, the health of both spouses, and several other particulars. Securing a divorce attorney who knows California’s spousal support criteria and has worked within Riverside county courtrooms specifically is essential to persuade the judge to grant your request. We will assist you by identifying which details of your circumstance will be the most persuasive, filling out and reviewing all spousal support forms, calculating alimony and understanding its constituents, and providing encouragement during this stressful time. If you are currently paying alimony, you may be wondering how you can attain a waiver for spousal support payments. Although this is usually dependent on the one receiving the support to excuse you, our lawyers are innovative and have often found ways to reduce payments or stop spousal support altogether through negotiations. We can also help you appeal to a judge and show him exactly how spousal support is harming your own ability to support yourself. Whichever side you find yourself on, we can assist you through the process.
