Fair Spousal Support in Your California Divorce
Spousal support, also known as maintenance or alimony, is a big question mark in divorce. Does it apply? How much and for how long? There are statutory criteria, but two different judges might come to widely different conclusions.
The Los Angeles divorce lawyers of Trabolsi & Levy are knowledgeable about determination of spousal support and the bigger picture of your property division and finances. We have had notable results in court on behalf of clients who were seeking or resisting alimony. We have also helped clients take the guesswork out of the equation by negotiating spousal support out of court.
Experienced Los Angeles Alimony Attorneys
Because we regularly go to court, we know the law, the judges' tendencies and the relevant facts that the court will consider in determination of alimony. For example, clients often focus on the spouse's spending habits or bad behavior while the judge is focused on other factors.
We commonly use these insights to resolve cases efficiently and cost-effectively out of court, rather than paying a lawyer by the hour to sit at the courthouse and wait for your case to be called. We help clients make an informed decision about when to take your chances in court and when to sit down to settle the issue.
Factors and Types of Spousal Support
- Temporary spousal support maintains the standard of living while a divorce is pending. Temporary support is typically higher than permanent alimony.
- Rehabilitative alimony is a short-term support payment sometimes awarded in shorter marriages to enable a spouse to go back to school or otherwise establish self-sufficiency.
- Permanent alimony may be awarded in longer marriages as a monthly payment that continues until the recipient's death, remarriage or cohabitation. It is based on several different statutory factors, including but not limited to income disparity, earning capacity, accustomed lifestyle, age, health, employability and career sacrifices during the marriage.
Our lawyers are skilled at imputing true income when the paying spouse is self-employed, paid in cash or has a fluctuating income, or when the recipient spouse is unemployed or under-employed. We also provide creative, strategic and realistic counsel to clients to help them resolve alimony without spending down assets in a courtroom fight.
Santa Monica Spousal Support Attorneys
We handle divorce in Santa Monica, West Los Angeles and throughout the San Fernando Valley, greater Los Angeles and Southern California. Call us at 310-584-7714 or toll free at 888-871-6245 or contact Trabolsi & Levy online to arrange a confidential consultation.
