Experienced Brandon Alimony Attorney

With alimony negotiations everything is subjective; how much money will it take both sides to maintain their current lifestyle, should one side pay for the others legal bills, should one spouse have to pay for the other’s continuing education? All these questions and more will be asked when you get to court. And right now you might feel like any reasonable person would decide in your favor. But the truth is, it will likely come down to the strength of your attorney’s argument.

How alimony works in the State of Florida

In Florida there are two criteria for a Judge to consider: one spouse’s need for financial support and the other spouse’s ability to pay. Other things that will be weighed are; how long you’ve been married, how many assets you own together, how much money is necessary to help a stay-at-home spouse become a breadwinner and more. Judges take all of this information into consideration so they can begin to determine how much and how long one spouse should have to pay the other alimony.

Types of alimony in the State of Florida

There are several types of alimony that can be awarded by a Florida Family Court Judge:

• Temporary – an amount paid during the divorce litigation to ensure that the person who needs the money can still pay bills while the marriage is dissolving
• Bridge the Gap – This time is used to transition the spouse from married life to single life and generally does not exceed two years in length.
• Rehabilitative – when one spouse agrees to pay for a retraining or school that will help their spouse get back to self sufficiency
• Durational – for a period of time to last longer than two years, but it’s not meant to last longer than the length of your marriage
• Permanent Periodic – continues until death or remarrying
• Lump Sum – generally a non-modifiable set amount to paid on one set sum or over a period of time.

Lifestyle, health, age, career and length of marriage are all factors that go into deciding your alimony award. It’s also important that you remember that there is no formula and the amount of money paid by one spouse to the other is subjective. Having a trial attorney negotiating on your behalf can really make a difference when an alimony claim is being made. At Carman, Bevington & Finegan we’re driven by a desire to protect our clients with the same professionalism that we would want in a similar situation. We intend to earn every dollar that we receive and will do our best to help you take those first steps on the road back to happiness.