Gloucester County Alimony Lawyers
Knowledgeable Gloucester County Alimony Lawyers Fight to Secure the Financial Rights of Our Clients
Sometimes you come to the difficult decision to end your marriage, or you may be surprised with divorce papers by your spouse. Once the emotional trauma and shock of the idea of getting a divorce begins to wear off, you may also need to deal with financial questions brought on by your divorce, especially if your spouse was the primary breadwinner or if you might have difficulties trying to rejoin the workforce after your split.
The law recognizes that divorcing spouses may have vastly different financial positions, but that both spouses are entitled to continue enjoying something approximating the marital lifestyle both during and after divorce proceedings. To help maintain a level playing field, courts may establish alimony or spousal support obligations for couples.
At Smedley Law Group, P.C., we understand the financial stress that divorce can cause. We know that financial stability is incredibly important to you at a time when significant changes are happening in your life. Our experienced Gloucester County alimony lawyers work diligently to ensure that your rights and interests are protected and. We advocate for you during the establishment of alimony or spousal support and afterward, including when changed circumstances in your or your ex’s life may warrant revisiting your existing alimony arrangement.
When you choose Smedley Law Group, P.C. to help in your alimony matter, you’ll never hear a lot of legalese or cryptic advice. Instead, we strive to provide practical, straightforward legal counsel aimed at pursuing solutions to provide you with a fresh start after your separation or divorce.
If you have more questions about your rights and obligations with respect to alimony or spousal support in your separation or divorce case, contact us today for a confidential consultation to learn more about why having experienced legal representation in your corner can help ensure that your financial rights and interests are protected.
How Is Alimony Established in New Jersey?
Under New Jersey law, there’s no mathematical formula to determine how much money one spouse should pay to the other in an alimony or spousal support arrangement. Instead, when courts are called upon to determine alimony arrangements, they consider various factors listed in the alimony statute, including:
- The actual financial needs and ability to pay support
- The duration of the marriage
- The age and health of the spouses
- The standard of living during the marriage and whether each spouse can maintain a comparable standard of living moving forward
- The respective earning capacities of the spouses
- The absence of either spouse from the job market
- The length of time it might take a spouse to acquire education and skills to obtain employment to support themselves
- The parental responsibilities of each spouse
- The equitable distribution of marital assets and debts
- The income available to each spouse through investments or other assets
- The tax consequences of an alimony award for each spouse.
Alimony and spousal support are intended to allow both spouses to maintain the standard of living from the marriage, or as close as possible. They also serve as a bridge to allow one spouse who may have been financially dependent on their other spouse to secure employment or other earnings that allows them to become self-sufficient.
For marriages lasting less than 20 years, alimony can only be paid for as long as the marriage lasted. In longer marriages, a spouse may seek open durational alimony, which continues until one spouse retires or the recipient spouse remarries or cohabitates with a partner.
Spouses may also establish a spousal support arrangement during the period they’re separated but before filing for divorce, or an alimony pendente lite arrangement for the duration of the divorce proceedings.
Gloucester County Alimony Lawyers from Smedley Law Group, P.C. Work to Ensure Fair Spousal Support Arrangements
Alimony/spousal support is intended to ensure that separating spouses continue to enjoy roughly the same standard of living, as close to the standard enjoyed during the marriage as possible, as both individuals move forward into their new lives. Alimony/spousal support is often a highly contentious issue during and after divorce.
At Smedley Law Group, P.C., our Gloucester County alimony lawyers work hard to ensure that your legal and financial rights are fully protected in an alimony arrangement, including as time goes on and your or your ex’s financial and personal circumstances change. Our experienced legal team can guide you through the alimony/spousal support process, including helping you put together financial filings in your divorce case, negotiating an alimony arrangement in a marital settlement agreement, advocating on your behalf at trial, or helping you prepare and file motions after your divorce when necessary to modify your existing alimony arrangement based on changed circumstances.
Contact Us Today for a Confidential Consultation to Learn More About How We Can Help With Your Alimony/Spousal Support Case
If you believe that you may be entitled to alimony/spousal support after you and your spouse have separated, or if you’re considering seeking a modification of an existing alimony/spousal support arrangement or order between you and your spouse or ex, contact Smedley Law Group, P.C. for an initial case review with our Gloucester County alimony lawyers to discuss how we can help you protect and assert your financial rights and interests.
- Locations Served in Gloucester County
- Clayton Deptford Township
- East Greenwich Elk Township
- Franklin Township Glassboro
- Greenwich Township Harrison Township
- Logan Township Mantua Township
- Monroe Township National Park
- Newfield Paulsboro
- Pitman South Harrison
- Swedesboro Washington Township
- Wenonah West Deptford
- Westville Woodbury
- Woodbury Heights Woolwich Township
Frequently Asked Questions About Alimony in New Jersey
Potentially yes. If you and your ex agreed to an alimony arrangement as part of a marital settlement agreement, you may have also agreed that your remarriage automatically constitutes a basis for your ex to seek to terminate their alimony obligation. Even if you don’t have an official agreement, your ex may still petition the court to terminate alimony based on your remarriage, on grounds that your new marriage constitutes a change in circumstances warranting a termination of alimony.
If your ex-spouse is behind on their alimony obligations, you can file a motion with the court. The court may order efforts to get your ex-spouse to comply with their alimony obligation, such as holding your spouse in contempt, or by ordering garnishment of your ex’s tax refund, lottery winnings, or other sources of funds that may be permitted by state and federal law.