Is Alimony a Part of Your Divorce

The idea behind alimony is that sometimes, at the end of a marriage, one spouse is in a much better position to support him- or herself than the other. This could be for a variety of reasons, including one spouse’s having been the main “breadwinner” for the family, or a spouse’s decision to be primary caregiver to children of the marriage. Whatever the reason, if the separation will result in financial hardship for a party, a court might award alimony, either on a temporary or permanent basis.

In Georgia, appropriate levels of spousal support, including lump-sum or temporary alimony, can depend upon one spouse’s need and the other’s ability to pay. Family courts consider a variety of factors for the awarding of alimony, such as:

• Length of the marriage
• Cause of the parties’ separation
• Standard of living
• Financial resources
• Amount of time it may take for a former spouse to obtain training and education for employment
• Contributions to the marriage, such as child care, homemaking, education, and career building
• Earning capacity and fixed liabilities of the parties

The experienced divorce attorneys at Banks, Stubbs & McFarland LLP in Cumming will assist you with any spousal support or alimony disagreement that needs to be resolved. We listen carefully to you goals for spousal support and alert you to facts and options to help you make sound decisions. We undertake negotiation to find common ground, and aggressively protect your rights in a court of law.

Call us today if:

• You feel you are not receiving enough alimony.
• You think you have been committed to paying more alimony than you should be.
• You need to request or contest a modification of spousal support due to a sudden change in circumstance.