Offering Practical Alimony Advice and Guidance
When a couple gets a divorce, it's common that one spouse has fewer resources available to support their financial needs. Alimony arrangement (also called spousal support), may be stipulated in your divorce judgment. At the Bowie Law Office of Kari Fawcett, I provide clear, practical legal advice for alimony enforcement and modifications.
As a family law attorney, I have nearly 25 years of experience representing spouses on both sides of the alimony fence. I have deep knowledge of the legal and tax implications of your decisions, and can explain your options using easy-to-understand language - not confusing legal buzzwords.
Seeking Spousal Support
My Bowie, Maryland, legal practice can help you seek appropriate alimony support based on your current financial needs and resources. I can evaluate your circumstances, including custody responsibilities, to help determine which type of alimony best suits your needs.
There are three different forms of alimony under Maryland law:
- Temporary support
- Rehabilitative support
- Indefinite support
Temporary support, also called Pendente Lite alimony, is paid during the divorce litigation. Rehabilitative support is alimony awarded after your divorce. You would receive this alimony until you have received further training and are considered self-supporting. It automatically ends if you remarry. Indefinite support is awarded if you can prove that you cannot become self-sufficient or if there is a glaring inequity in the respective incomes of you and your spouse.
Seeking Modifications
Most likely, today's economy has made it difficult for you to comply with your alimony agreement. If you find yourself struggling to maintain these payments, and if your alimony obligations is modifiable, do not wait until you are found in contempt for non-payment.
Contempt for non-payment is a violation of a court order. You could face severe sanctions, such as having to pay your ex-spouse's lawyer's fees and a possible jail sentence. I can help you seek a modification before it becomes an issue.
Post-decree modifications basically revise your alimony arrangement. If the order regarding alimony is modifiable, you need to have undergone a significant material change of circumstances to receive a modification. I understand which evidentiary materials are necessary to help prove your circumstances.
Tax Issues
When helping you with alimony, I always keep in mind that alimony carries specific tax implications for you. I can discuss how your alimony situation may affect your taxes. I want you to have clear expectations.
Free Consultations
To discuss your alimony situation with a free initial phone consultation, please call me at 301-262-5500 or send me an e-mail.
My office is located in Bowie, Maryland, at the corner of Route 197 and Route 450, just behind the McDonalds.
