Loudoun County Spousal Support Lawyer

Spousal support is a payment that is made from a higher-earning spouse or former spouse to a lower-earning or non-earning spouse or former spouse. Spousal support is often called alimony, and these terms are interchangeable. In Virginia, both terms can be used, but the statute refers to spousal support or support for a spouse, and in court, the terms are used interchangeably.

There are many cases that go through the Virginia courts that involve spousal support. There can be complications or contested issues when determining alimony, and the terms of them can be complex, making it important to work with a Loudoun County spousal support lawyer early. An experienced family law attorney can best help former spouses determine an arrangement that works for each individual.

Factors to Consider

There are a lot of factors that an individual or their spousal support attorney in Loudoun County should keep in mind when considering spousal support. One of the most important things to know is that spousal support can be ordered both temporarily and in the long term. Temporary support can be ordered when a divorce case is pending, but not finalized. Permanent support, which is the term used to refer to support that will continue after the case is finished, can be awarded in a final hearing on divorce, or an alimony or separate maintenance case.

Typically, alimony is paid when parties have been married and one of the spouses earns a significant amount of money more than the other. It is also paid in cases where one spouse is employed and earning money and the other spouse is not employed and not earning money.

Determining Support

Temporary spousal support in Loudoun County is determined typically by a formula that takes a portion of the higher-earning spouse’s income and, if any, a portion of the lower-earning spouse’s income to determine what the monthly payment should be. However, permanent support cases are determined after consideration of a number of factors that are spelled out in Virginia law.

Alimony typically arises when one spouse has a much greater ability to meet financial needs and the other spouse does not have the resources to meet their financial needs. In a case, for example, where one spouse has been a stay-at-home spouse for a period of time, spousal support will be an issue. Additionally, if one of the spouses in a marriage has some sort of physical limitation to their ability to earn money and the other spouse can earn sufficient income, that case will typically involve a spousal support component.

Contact a Loudoun County Spousal Support Attorney

It is incredibly important to work with a Loudoun County spousal support lawyer, especially for alimony that might be awarded at the time a divorce is done, because there is no required formula to bind the court’s decision. Because there is no formula or magical equation that somebody can use, it is important to have legal counsel representing an individual if they have a spousal issue. That attorney will have experience with judges in courts and be able to tell what kind of things tend to be important considerations for spousal support. Call now to speak with one of our knowledgable legal professionals about your case.