Alimony/Spousal Support Attorneys
in Bowie & Crofton, Maryland

Offering Practical Alimony Advice and Guidance

When a couple gets a divorce, there are occasions where one spouse has fewer resources available to support his or her financial needs. Alimony arrangements (also called spousal support), may be stipulated in your divorce judgment. At the Law Office of Kari Fawcett, we provide clear, practical legal advice for alimony enforcement and modifications.

As your family law attorneys, we have over 25 years of experience representing spouses on both sides of the alimony fence. We have deep knowledge of the legal and tax implications of your decisions, and can explain your options using easy-to-understand language – not confusing legal buzzwords.

Seeking Spousal Support

Our legal practice can help you seek appropriate alimony support based on your current financial needs and resources. We can evaluate your circumstances, including custody responsibilities, to help determine which type of alimony best suits your needs.

There are three different forms of alimony under Maryland law:

• Temporary support

• Rehabilitative support

• Indefinite support

Temporary support, also called Pendente Lite alimony, is paid during the divorce litigation. Rehabilitative support is alimony awarded after your divorce. You would receive this alimony until you have received further training and are considered self-supporting. It automatically ends if you remarry. Indefinite support otherwise known as indefinite alimony is awarded if you can prove that you cannot become self-sufficient or if there is a glaring inequity in the respective incomes between you and your spouse. Indefinite alimony is modifiable and will terminate if you remarry.

Seeking Modifications

Most likely, today’s economy has made it difficult for you to comply with your alimony agreement. If you find yourself struggling to maintain these payments, and if your alimony obligation is modifiable, do not wait until you are found in contempt for non-payment.

Contempt for non-payment is a violation of a court order. You could face severe sanctions, such as having to pay your ex-spouse’s lawyer’s fees and a possible jail sentence. We can help you seek a modification before it becomes an issue.

Post-decree modifications basically revise your alimony arrangement. If the order regarding alimony is modifiable, you need to have undergone a significant material change of circumstances to receive a modification. We understand which evidentiary materials are necessary to help prove your circumstances.

Tax Issues

When helping you with alimony, we always keep in mind that alimony carries specific tax implications for you. We can discuss how your alimony situation may affect your taxes. We want you to have clear expectations.

Low-Cost Consultations

To discuss your alimony situation with a low-cost consultation, please call or send us a message.