Alimony and Spousal Maintenance in San Diego California

San Diego CA Alimony Lawyers – Family Law Attorneys

When a married couple is engaged in a dissolution of marriage proceeding is the state of California, they are going to have to work together to come up with terms that they both feel comfortable with going forward. This may seem like a herculean task that inevitably ends in a stalemate resulting in a courtroom battle, but fortunately, this is really not the case. In fact, it is estimated that about 95% of the divorce or dissolution of marriage cases in the United States move forwarded without being contested. So most couples can indeed come to an agreement, and this is something to keep in mind should you ever be in a situation where you and your spouse have to work out divorce terms.

Some of the terms of a dissolution of marriage that have to be addressed are a given in virtually every instance. If there is shared property and other assets, these will have to be divided in an equitable manner. If the couple who is engaged in the proceeding have children, matters of child custody, visitation, and child support will need to be discussed and ultimately agreed upon. The one issue that is not going to be applicable to every case is that of alimony, or what is now more commonly referred to as spousal maintenance or spousal support (in California the term spousal support is used).

As most people know, spousal support is a payment made by one former spouse (the supporting spouse in this context) to the other (termed the dependent spouse). The purpose of such a payment is to help the dependent spouse financially when such assistance is necessary and appropriate. It is traditionally called for when one former partner has eschewed a career of his or her own to take care of the household and the children. Spousal support can be either temporary, intended to fill the gap until the dependent spouse can become self supporting; or permanent, a payment that is made on an ongoing basis. A divorcing couple can mutually agree to a spousal support arrangement, but when such an agreement is not forthcoming a petition for spousal support can be filed with the court.

If you have question or concerns about alimony or spousal support, contact an experienced San Diego divorce attorney for a free consultation.