Highlands Ranch Alimony Attorneys
Assessing your own financial needs during a divorce can be a daunting prospect, especially as you are already in the middle of splitting up household assets and maybe even figuring out child custody and child support arrangements. A significant, additional issue arising in many divorce cases is that of alimony or spousal support.
In marriages with significant income disparities between the parties, there is often a request for alimony (“maintenance” under Colorado statute). If you are in need of spousal support or defending against a claim, having the right legal help matters. Just a short drive away, the Highlands Ranch alimony attorneys at Plog & Stein, P.C. are ready to provide experienced and thorough representation regarding all aspects of your alimony case, including for both establishment and modification issues.
How Maintenance Works in Highlands Ranch, Colorado
Again, in the state of Colorado, alimony is statutorily termed “maintenance” and is a completely separate legal issue from that of child support. Pursuant to C.R.S. 14-10-114, maintenance is specifically designed to help with the living expenses and reasonable financial needs of the party with fewer resources in a divorce.
You should submit a request for maintenance at the beginning of your divorce case. If you decide to waive your right to receive maintenance, you may not request it at a later date. You may even request temporary spousal support to be provided while divorce proceedings, which can take months or longer, are pending. However, the granting of temporary maintenance has no bearing on the ultimate determination for spousal support due after the divorce is concluded.
In most instances, alimony is going to be determined based on a statutory formula, with the length being determined based on the length of the marriage mapped up with a statutory time table. For marriages of 20 years or longer, the duty to pay alimony may even exceed half the length of the marriage.
Starting in 2014, courts across Colorado started generally adhering to this statutory formula, which is not mandatory but has certainly become the norm. However, courts still have discretion over the issue of maintenance, both as to amount and duration. A Douglas County judge ruling on a Highlands Ranch divorce case might issue an entirely different alimony decision from a judge in Jefferson County.
Douglas County is generally in the top 10 in the nation, each year, for median household income. As such, alimony cases can entail dealing with significant and diverse income sources, sometimes exceeding the statutory formula combined family income cap of $360,000 per year. In assessing any spousal support case, our Highlands Ranch alimony lawyers look for realistic and sound financial resolutions, including the potential offsetting of alimony via an unequal distribution of marital assets.
With each case being different, we readily look for creative solutions, with the goal of your financial interests in mind. With your financial future on the line, it’s important to partner with a family law firm familiar with your local family courts that can give you a sense of what to expect from your case.
Consult with Alimony Lawyers who Understand Highlands Ranch
The Highlands Ranch family law attorneys at Plog & Stein, P.C. have extensive experience both settling and litigating divorces for Highlands Ranch clients. Let us put that experience to work for you regarding all aspects of your alimony case. Call us, today, at (303) 781-0322 or contact us online to set an appointment with one of our lawyer.
