Phoenix Spousal Maintenance Attorney

Spousal maintenance in Phoenix, unlike child support, is assessed in the Court’s discretion. Spousal maintenance generally is not awarded for marriages of short duration or when the party seeking spousal maintenance is able to be self-sufficient. Spousal maintenance is governed by Arizona Revised Statute 25-319 and is usually referred to as Alimony in common terms. A Phoenix Spousal Maintenance Lawyer evaluates your eligibility to receive alimony, or to assess the possibility of preventing you from paying alimony. For a more complete look at spousal maintenance, see our article entitled Guidelines For Spousal Maintenance.

Types of Spousal Maintenance

Temporary Spousal Maintenance:

This form of spousal maintenance is almost always ordered at a Temporary Orders Hearing and will usually last until the evidentiary hearing.

Lump Sum Spousal Maintenance:

An Arizona Court may order or the parties may agree to spousal maintenance in a lump sum single payment. Court’s rarely will order a lump sum but parties commonly enter into agreement that involve one or two large payments.

Monthly Spousal Maintenance:

The most common kind of spousal maintenance awarded by the Arizona Courts and entered into by agreements of the parties during a divorce. Monthly spousal maintenance usually involves a fixed amount of money paid over a fixed period of time. If entered into by the parties this fixed period of time can be made non-modifiable however, if ordered by the Arizona Court this amount and/or can be modifiable if a significant change in circumstance occurs.

Spousal Maintenance Guidelines

Arizona spousal maintenance guidelines cover several areas. The areas included involve the standard of living that the couple enjoyed while married. Other factors are the age and earning ability of the spouse seeking maintenance. The following factors are covered by the Arizona spousal maintenance rules:

The length of marriage
The age of the spouses.
The Finances of the spouses
The emotional health of the spouses.
The physical health of the spouses
The Standard of Living during the marriage
The length of time necessary for the spouse awarded alimony to be retrained or receive education to become self sufficient

Protect Your Rights

The primary job of the Enholm Law, PLLC Phoenix Spousal Maintenance Lawyer assigned to your case is to protect your rights. There is no replacement for the legal advice of an experienced, trial tested, compassionate attorney when it comes to dealing with alimony during a divorce.