After years of marriage, it may come as a total shock to you that you are getting a divorce. You never envisioned yourself having to start over from scratch at your age. Without your spouse, you may have little to nothing to your name.
In the eyes of the law, it may be unfair for you to forge for yourself after being financially supported for years by your spouse. You may be entitled to support that could help you rebuild your future. By retaining the services of a family law firm, divorce lawyer, or alimony attorney pasco county residents like you might find the future to be not as scary as it once was.
Determining the Right to Support Most states have alimony or spousal support laws on the books. These laws protect spouses who are being divorced on relatively short notice. They also ensure the livelihood of spouses who took a lesser role in working and financially supporting the household. However, these laws also are reserved for people who have been married for longer than 10 years in most states. Spouses who are married for fewer years than that may not be entitled to spousal support.
The judge would have to consider the case before ruling about whether or not the other spouse owed support to the other party. If you have been married longer than 10 years, you typically are entitled to support for at least 10 years and one day. That amount of time should give you enough time to find a new job and build a career with which you can support yourself. The spousal support helps you avoid being homeless and without any money to take care of yourself.
Despite the laws on the books, some spouses are reluctant to pay support. They often have to be compelled by the divorce court. Your attorney can make sure your former spouse follows the order and makes timely support payments to you. He or she can also protect you if the other party wants to have the order altered or lowered.
