Lake Mary Alimony Attorney
Alimony is awarded during the dissolution of marriage in order to create equity, and to ensure that the lower earning spouse has the financial tools needed to get through the divorce process, become self-sufficient, or to live out their lives in a manner they grew accustomed to during the marriage. While 98 percent of alimony recipients are women, according to CBS News, alimony is available to either party regardless of sex. If you are going through divorce, the Lake Mary alimony attorneys at the Troum Law Firm, P.A. are here to help.
How Florida Courts Establish Alimony
Under statute 61.08, when making a decision about alimony, a judge will consider all relevant information about the marriage and each spouse, including whether alimony is needed in the first place. The court also considers adultery in awarding alimony. If alimony is needed, a judge will take the following into consideration:
- Standard of living established in the marriage;
- Length of the marriage;
- Age of each spouse;
- Physical and emotional condition of each spouse;
- Financial resources of each spouse, including marital and non marital assets;
- Earning ability of each spouse, including education, vocational skills, and employability;
- Time, training, and education needed for either spouse to become self-sufficient and find employment;
- Contributions each spouse made to the marriage, including child care, homemaking, education, career building for the other party, and more;
- Responsibilities each spouse will have for any minor children in common;
- Tax consequences of alimony;
- All sources of income available to each spouse; and
- More.
Five Types of Alimony
- Bridge the Gap Alimony—Divorce can take many months, or even years in some cases. Bridge the gap alimony is provided to the lower earning spouse during the separation to ensure that they can maintain their accustomed standard of living during this time.
- Reimbursement Alimony—If the lower earning spouse helped pay off a debt of the higher earning spouse, or helped them pay for college (for example), the higher earning spouse may be required to pay this back during divorce in the form of reimbursement alimony.
- Rehabilitative Alimony—The homemaker or predominant child raiser of the household is often left with few job skills or an outdated education, making it difficult to provide for themselves after they go through divorce. Rehabilitative alimony is used by the lower earning spouse to pay for vocational training, college, or another form of education.
- Permanent Alimony—Permanent alimony continues until either of the ex-spouses pass away. It is awarded when the lower earning spouse has few options for supporting themselves due to age, disability, or a health condition. It may also be awarded if the paying spouse is much more wealthy than the lower earning spouse.
- Lump-Sum Alimony—Instead of monthly payments, the court may order, or the paying spouse may request, to pay all of their obligations at once in a single payment.
Call a Lake Mary Alimony Lawyer Today
To ensure that your interests are protected in divorce and any alimony decisions, you need to work with an experienced attorney. Call the Lake Mary alimony lawyers at the Troum Law Firm, P.A., today at 321-428-2247 to schedule a consultation.
