Florida Alimony Lawyer - Jacksonville, FL
Alimony, also known as spousal support, is technically defined as subsistence of financial support provided from one spouse to the other during divorce proceedings or following a divorce decree in order to provide financial maintenance for that spouse.
There are several factors which affect the amount and type of alimony which may be ordered by the Court, and the issue of alimony often provides the most wide array of results from case to case based on broad discretion of the trial judge.
Generally in determining alimony or spousal support, the Court considers the financial needs of one spouse weighed against the financial ability to pay of the other spouse and the standard of living achieved or maintained during the course of the marriage. For determinative factors, the Court may consider the length or duration of the marriage, the age and physical and emotional condition of each party, the financial resources of each party whether marital or non-marital, the time necessary for either party to acquire sufficient education or training such that they may financially support themselves, the contribution of each party to the marriage of services which may include homemaking, child care, education, and career building of the other party, all income available (whether actual or imputed) to either party, and any other factor which the Court may deem relevant.
During the course of the proceedings, the Court may award temporary alimony in order for a spouse to maintain their living circumstances through the course of the litigation. Following a decree of divorce, the Court has various types of alimony which may be awarded including bridge-the-gap alimony, rehabilitative alimony, periodic alimony, durational alimony, permanent alimony or lump sum alimony. The amount of alimony depends on the specific financial circumstances of the parties which may include consideration of the equitable distribution of the parties assets and liabilities. Likewise, the entitlement to and the type of alimony awarded will be dependent on the specific circumstances of the parties and the factors in determining entitlement to alimony.
At the Law Offices of Jonathan A. Zahler, P.A. we specialize in family law mediations and are committed to providing excellent representation to our clientele, whether or not they are represented by an attorney.
