Understanding Spousal Support Laws In Jacksonville and in Florida

When people think of divorce, often alimony is an afterthought. In some situations, one spouse may require financial support from the other party until the individual can support themselves adequately to live independently after the dissolution of the marriage. In Florida, this support is available from one party to another after a divorce, and it is known as maintenance. Alimony granted to a spouse may be ordered in several forms such as temporary, bridge-the-gap, rehabilitative, durational, permanent, and/or lump sum, to get the person to a position where they can take care of their own expenses without assistance. Our spousal support lawyers can help represent you and to get you the results you need for this divorce-related issue.

How Is Alimony Determined In Florida?

If one of the parties commits adultery, the court may take this into consideration when considering alimony. The standard of living that each spouse had during the marriage, how long the marriage lasted, the age of each spouse and their ability to earn money, the economic position of each party, whether someone needs education or training to find a job to support themselves and what each person contributed to the marriage, all are considered in this process to determine if spousal support will be given in these cases.

Alimony is not meant to punish someone, but to help the other party to get on their feet. The primary purpose of maintenance is to help one party in maintaining the standard of living they had during their marriage.

Spousal Support Modification In Florida

A modification can be made regarding alimony in Florida. This can be in duration and/or in the amount as long as the alimony was awarded in the original decree. If spousal support was not originally awarded, then the spouse cannot come back to the court later to request it to be added as part of the alimony decree. Under Florida law, alimony payments can be modified or terminated when there is an unanticipated, material involuntary, and permanent substantial change in circumstances that affects the ability to pay alimony to the other party or the need of the party receiving alimony payments. Our experienced spousal support lawyers can evaluate your case and determine whether a change is valid. If it is, we can file the necessary paperwork in order to get the process going and to get the change made as soon as possible.

Talk To Our Jacksonville Metro Spousal Support Lawyers

At Finnell, McGuinness, Nezami & Andux P.A., we offer legal consultations to those needing our legal expertise, especially with maintenance/ alimony matters in Clay County. To learn more about what we can do for you and to speak to a family law attorney as soon as possible, call 904-717-7747.