After a married couple divorces or separates, it is not uncommon for one partner to experience a substantial decline in their standard of living. Issues such as staying at home to take care of children or sacrificing professional opportunities for another spouse’s career can place a person at a significant disadvantage following a divorce. For this reason, many divorce settlements include spousal support in the form of alimony payments.
At Marshall & Taylor PLLC, we know that alimony is essential for many people in Raleigh to their standard of living after a divorce. Similarly, as the person who is or might be paying alimony, making sure you are not being taken advantage of is critical to your finances and life after divorce as well. As such, it is important to have an experienced attorney representing you in order to reach a fair alimony arrangement. If you want to ensure that you don’t experience a dramatic decrease in income due to decisions you and your ex-spouse made while you were still married, contact Marshall & Taylor PLLC at (919) 833-1040 or use the live chat feature on our website.
Why Do I Need An Alimony Attorney?
If you have grown accustomed to a certain lifestyle, it is reasonable to want specific accommodations if you are going through a divorce. It might take time to build a life on your own, especially if you gave up the opportunity to have a career of your own to manage the household. Having your ex-spouse pay alimony to make up for this difference in incomes is what is fair and just, but you will likely need an attorney in order to negotiate the terms and amounts of these alimony payments. Though your spouse may agree that you are owed alimony, you may disagree on how much is owed. You may also disagree on whether payments should continue until you find a good job or are remarried, or you may want to agree upon a total sum of money that you are owed and have alimony payments stop after that sum is reached.
There are so many factors to take into consideration, but you shouldn’t be the one doing all the work to negotiate them. You should be making sure your divorce proceedings are going according to plan and that your family is okay with all the changes that are happening. The best way to do this is by letting us handle complications and decisions regarding your alimony.
Why Should I Choose Marshall & Taylor PLLC?
Here at Marshall & Taylor PLLC, we are dedicated to serving the people of Raleigh and ensuring that you get what you are owed when you get a divorce. When looking for an alimony attorney, you should be searching for someone who has years of experience with a good track record, but you should also want them to be someone who is easy to work with, willing to keep you in the look, and eager to answer any questions you might have. At Marshall & Taylor PLLC, we pride ourselves on being attorneys who combine experience with being helpful and kind, and we want nothing more than to help you settle your alimony case.
Jeffrey E. Marshall received his B.S. in Business Administration from SUNY Buffalo, followed by his Juris Doctor from Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio. After graduating from law school, he moved to North Carolina, where he has been practicing law ever since. He is very passionate about North Carolina and making sure that the people here are able to settle their divorces and family matters in a just and amicable way. Marshall is a North Carolina Board Certified Family Law Specialist, and he chose to build a practice that is proud to specialize only in Divorce and Family Law. In order to achieve this distinction, Marshall had to pass a written examination, have notable experience in the field, and receive not just positive, but outstanding reviews from his peers. This last qualification is especially important to him, as he is extremely honored to have the respect of others in his field, and even more honored that they sometimes turn to him for advice.
Travis Taylor, another talented attorney at our practice, was born and raised here in North Carolina. He loves this state so much that he chose to get his degree, build his practice, and establish his career right here. He received both his Bachelor’s degree and his Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill and is currently a member of the North Carolina State Bar and the American Bar Association. He, like all the attorneys here at Marshall & Taylor PLLC, is very proud of the positive reviews and testimonials we have received from satisfied clients. People have said that we give them everything they ask for and more, we were critical to the positive outcomes they have achieved, and we respond to all questions and concerns in a timely manner. We are proud of the success our firm has achieved in our past, and we want you to be part of the success we achieve in the future.
Types of Alimony and Related Legal Issues
When it comes to alimony, there are a number of different legal issues that often need to be addressed. The main alimony-related issues people going through a divorce have to deal with include:
- Temporary Alimony – awarded throughout the time that the divorce is being negotiated
- Permanent Alimony – given from one spouse to another for the rest of their lives
- Modifying Alimony – a change in the logistics or amount of alimony paid, which also overturns an alimony agreement that was made previously
For these and other issues relating to alimony arrangements, it is often best to have an experienced legal representative on your side, ensuring your interests and needs are represented and heard.
North Carolina Alimony FAQs
What factors are used to determine if alimony should be awarded?
Determining alimony can be a complicated task, and a number of factors must be considered before alimony can be awarded. A few of these factors include each spouse’s income and ability to earn income, the length of the marriage, each spouse’s contribution as a homemaker and caregiver, and the standard of living that each spouse became accustomed to over the course of the marriage. For example, in some marriages, one spouse may choose to put their career on hold in order to care for children, which can make it harder for them to make a living after divorce, making alimony a necessity. All of these factors and many others are considered when determining alimony in order to allow both spouses to be financially sound after a divorce.
What is post-separation support?
Post-separation support is one of two types of alimony in North Carolina and serves as a temporary order of financial support for one spouse by the other during divorce proceedings. Post-separation payments are usually monthly and serve as financial means for dependent spouses and their monetary needs like medical bills and mortgage payments. These payments stop as soon as the final order of alimony is determined. To learn about other legal terms, visit the glossary of Marshall & Taylor PLLC.
How does remarriage affect alimony?
In most cases, remarriage affects alimony by stopping alimony payments, effective on the date of the new marriage. In these situations, there is no need for the spouse paying alimony to return to court to stop the alimony payments, they can simply stop paying them once their ex-spouse has remarried. There are, however, certain circumstances in which a spouse paying alimony may need to continue financial support after their spouse remarries, such in cases where the paying spouse still owes their spouse alimony money from before the remarriage or if one spouse was ordered to pay their spouse a lump sum and have not completed payment.
Find Out More about Alimony from a Lawyer in Raleigh
If you are pursuing alimony during a divorce or need help modifying your current alimony arrangement, our legal team at Marshall & Taylor PLLC, has what it takes to provide you with the representation you need. We will serve you diligently and will negotiate and renegotiate your alimony agreement until we have a final product that you are satisfied with. Find out more about how we’ve helped past clients get the alimony arrangements they wanted and what we can do for you by calling (919) 833-1040.