Birmingham Alimony Lawyer

Securing alimony can get complicated in a divorce. Your ex may contest your financial needs. They may fail to make payments, jeopardizing your day-to-day life. If you have problems getting fair alimony, Summit Family Law offers its legal support. A Birmingham alimony lawyer from our firm can learn your story and advocate for what you deserve.

Our firm offers comprehensive legal help to those before, during, and after divorce proceedings. We believe you deserve alimony to maintain your quality of life and help you move forward. To learn how we empower alimony claimants, call our firm today to speak to a Birmingham family law attorney.

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Services From Our Birmingham Alimony Lawyers: A Brief Overview

Alimony, also known as “spousal support,” refers to the payments that a higher-earning spouse pays to their lower-earning partner. For instance, imagine a situation in which a doctor divorces her husband, a freelance writer.

In that instance, she may have to pay her former husband spousal support each month until:

He remarries.
He passes away.
He gets a better-paying job.
The alimony payment period expires.
The court decides to end the agreement for whatever reason.

While alimony prevents a lower-earning spouse from becoming destitute, matters can quickly get complicated.

When that happens, people turn to Summit Family Law. We can:

Evaluate your situation’s needs
Learn your story
Determine what constitutes a fair alimony agreement
Compel your former spouse to pay alimony (if they refuse)
File a lawsuit in divorce court
End an alimony agreement (if you want to terminate an agreement)
Make a legal strategy based on your situation
Update you on your case’s progression
Explain your legal options

The alimony attorneys at Summit Family Law want to support you during this challenging time. Our lawyers in Birmingham intend to offer legal help that meets your situation’s unique needs.

We Offer Legal Help in the Midst of Divorce

If you’re in the middle of a divorce, you may want alimony. We help those with:

No-Fault Divorces

In our experience, these are fairly straightforward matters. Here, there are no accusations of who caused the divorce.

Grounds for these divorces include:

Both spouses have abandoned the marriage.
The marriage is irretrievable, and reconciling would not be in anyone’s best interest.
Both spouses have massive differences and cannot live together.

A no-fault divorce doesn’t mean spouses part amicably. It generally means that there’s little to no dispute about assets, child custody, or other matters. Here, getting alimony could be as easy as requesting support. However, our lawyers stand ready to fight any challenges that impede your right to alimony.

Fault-Based Divorces

Fault-based divorces are emotionally charged events fraught with complications.

Grounds for a fault-based divorce may include:

Someone cheated.
There was domestic violence.
A prenuptial agreement puts a soon-to-be-former spouse in dire financial straits.
Your spouse went to prison for at least two years.
Your spouse committed a violent crime.
Your spouse was addicted to alcohol or drugs.

As complicated as these cases may seem, alimony is still possible. Don’t feel discouraged from seeking what you need because of a fault-based divorce. Even if your spouse accuses you of acting wrongfully, we’re on your side. We intend to support your legal rights and navigate this challenging process.

Our Law Firm Combats Alimony-Related Challenges

We help people who have problems:

Knowing How Much Alimony They Need

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula for calculating alimony.

The courts determine a figure based on factors specific to your situation, including:

Whether you have children
How long you were married
How much your former spouse makes a year
Your lifestyle
Your age
Your working ability
Both spouses’ education levels

Our team can explain how much alimony you can request. We can also consider temporary aspects of your situation when establishing your needs.

Getting Paid Alimony

Once the court orders your former spouse to pay alimony, they must adhere to the payment schedule. They cannot simply decide to stop paying alimony out of spite. If you’re having trouble getting paid alimony, we can assert your financial needs in court. We may also negotiate an out-of-court agreement if that suits your situation better.

Terminating an Alimony Agreement

You may want to stop paying alimony to your former spouse. Our alimony lawyers serving Birmingham can help with this process.

The court may terminate your alimony agreement if:

Your former spouse passes away. Your former spouse does not have any financial obligations if they’re deceased.
Your former spouse begins another romantic partnership. You’re not obligated to pay alimony if your spouse enters into another long-term relationship, such as a marriage or domestic partnership. Casual dating does not terminate alimony in and of itself.
Your financial situation changes. If you don’t have the financial resources to continue paying alimony, the court may terminate the arrangement. If it doesn’t terminate the arrangement, it could significantly lower your payments.

You shouldn’t face financial hardship because of a post-divorce alimony agreement. Your needs should come first—not your former spouse’s.

Adjusting an Alimony Agreement

Financial situations change. One year, you could make six figures. The next, you could require government assistance. We can petition the court to change your alimony agreement into one that satisfies both parties.

Alimony Fraud

Sometimes, people lie about their financial situation to keep getting alimony payments. For instance, your former spouse may cohabitate with a higher-earning partner, yet still expect you to make payments. If they supply incorrect information to the court (or do not update the court on their situation), this could constitute alimony fraud. You have options and legal rights in this situation.

This isn’t an exhaustive list of alimony-related challenges our law firm handles. When you begin a no-obligation case review with Charlotte Law Firm, we can understand your circumstances and explain your next steps.

What to Know About Alimony in Birmingham

At first glance, alimony seems simple enough. Yet, some nuances may play a role in your situation. Here are three things we share about alimony-related matters with each client:

You Can Request Alimony After Your Divorce

Imagine this scenario. You get a divorce from your spouse. Alimony is not included in the divorce arrangement. Weeks later, you find that you have trouble affording groceries and other necessities. You may wonder whether you can request alimony. The short answer is yes, you can request alimony even after the court finalized your divorce.

This can get complicated, though. In that case, you can entrust your situation to the alimony attorneys at Summit Family Law. We aim to secure the funds you need to maintain your quality of life.

Getting Alimony Is Not Gender Specific

The Supreme Court ruled that both men and women can get alimony following a divorce. So, if a man makes less money than his now-former wife, he can request alimony. Alimony isn’t just for divorced women, contrary to what many people think.

Failing to Pay Alimony Can Result in Legal Consequences

Often, clients come to us saying that their former spouse refuses to comply and pay alimony. In this situation, your lawyer can file a contempt petition in court. This would compel your former spouse to appear in court and explain the reason for non-payment. The court could institute fines or jail time on the non-compliant party.

Our law firm wants you to understand everything about alimony-related matters moving forward. That way, you and your legal team can make decisions that benefit your situation.

Different Types of Alimony for Different Situations

You may be surprised to learn that alimony isn’t a catch-all term for spousal support. There are different types of alimony that meet different situations, such as:

Interim Support

A spouse can get interim support during divorce proceedings. Once the court finalizes the divorce, however, this support ends.

Periodic Alimony

Here, a spouse pays alimony either weekly, monthly, or on another schedule. In most cases, Alabama law says this arrangement cannot exceed five years. However, certain exceptions apply.

Permanent Alimony

In some situations, a higher-paying spouse pays alimony for the rest of their life. This could happen if a couple divorces in their twilight years. It’s also only applicable in situations where the couple has been married for longer than 20 years.

Our team aims to advocate for what you need and deserve. We can explain the different types of alimony and which plan could benefit you during our partnership.

Frequently Asked Questions About Alimony

As noted, we want you to feel comfortable moving forward with securing legal help. So, we’ve compiled some questions we get from others in situations similar to yours. Some of those questions include:

How Long Does It Take to Get Alimony?

How long it takes to create an alimony agreement depends on many aspects of your situation, including your former partner’s cooperation. This is why it’s generally more straightforward to get alimony through a no-fault divorce. In these cases, the higher-earning spouse acknowledges they must pay alimony and follows through with the arrangement.

Matters change in fault-based divorces. It can take quite some time to implement an agreement. However, our team promises one thing: we aim to keep your case on track. We have years of experience managing these issues, and we know how to approach your case moving forward.

Can I Get Child Support and Alimony?

Child support and alimony are separate (but related) matters.

Here’s the main difference:

Child support supports a child.
Alimony supports a former spouse.

Sometimes, it’s possible to get alimony once child support ends. Our lawyers can examine the details of your divorce arrangement and seek the best possible outcome.

Can I Work and Get Alimony?

In many cases, alimony isn’t meant to be a substitute for employment. The short answer is yes; you can work (and even have a successful career) and still get alimony. Yet, if you’re able to support yourself without assistance, the court may decide you don’t need these payments.

If your former spouse alleges that you don’t need alimony because of your job, we can assert otherwise. You shouldn’t have to make financial sacrifices just because your marriage ended.

What Considerations Could Ease the Process of Seeking Alimony?

There are some do’s and don’ts that come with seeking alimony. We’ve compiled a list of these measures below:

What to Do When Seeking Alimony

These measures could benefit your situation while seeking alimony:

Spend money carefully. You want to present an accurate financial situation to the court when requesting spousal support. That way, your former spouse doesn’t accuse you of misrepresenting your situation. The court can also determine what alimony payments meet your needs.
Keep your appointments. The meetings and hearings related to your divorce aren’t optional. You should attend all necessary meetings to promote a smooth process. You should also attend these appointments on time. Don’t make your spouse wait just because they made you wait. Take the high road.
Disclose all relevant information. You don’t want to be accused of alimony fraud. Present all information the court asks of you, including your wage statements and other financial documents.

What to Avoid When Seeking Alimony

Seeking alimony comes with a flurry of emotions, from anger to grief to just plain confusion. Yet, it’s important to be mindful of your actions during this time. Anything you say or do could make legal proceedings difficult.

We suggest that you refrain from:

Sharing information about your divorce online. You should keep all information about your divorce between yourself and your immediate family members. If your spouse’s divorce attorney sees your posts, they could use them against you.
Rushing into another relationship. If you move in with a new romantic partner immediately after your separation, your former spouse could argue that you don’t need financial support. You cannot seek alimony if another partner supports you financially.
Taking matters into your own hands. You may want to forgo legal assistance and seek alimony on your own. In doing so, you risk getting awarded less than you deserve. If your spouse retains legal help, you could find yourself at a marked disadvantage during all legal proceedings.

Connect With Our Alimony Law Team in Birmingham

Although your marriage has ended, your new life is just beginning. Our Birmingham divorce lawyers want to secure the financial resources you need to take the first step forward. Contact us today to schedule your no-obligation consultation with our family law team. We are here to help!

Summit Family Law Birmingham Office Location:

120 19th Street N, Suite 2002

Birmingham, Alabama 35203

(256) 649-2335