Alimony and Maintenance Attorneys Serving DuPage County
Not all divorce cases will involve alimony, but this form of support may be a factor if one spouse earns a much higher income than the other or if one spouse is a is a stay-at-home parent. If you believe that you should receive support from your spouse, or if you are being asked to make payments to your former partner, it is important to fully understand how issues related to spousal maintenance will be addressed during your divorce. Our Illinois divorce attorneys at Andrew Cores Family Law Group in DuPage County and Kendall County have extensive experience representing clients in family law cases, and we can help you understand the best ways to address spousal support and related issues.
When Is Spousal Support Awarded in an Illinois Divorce?
Sometimes called alimony or spousal maintenance, spousal support consists of payments made by one spouse to the other. It is meant to ensure that both spouses will be able to support themselves and address their ongoing needs. Ideally, both parties should be able to maintain the standard of living they had during their marriage, and when there is a large difference between the incomes earned by each party, ongoing payments may be necessary to ensure a fair outcome to a couple's case.
Eligibility for spousal maintenance is determined based on a wide range of factors. Some of these factors include (but are not limited to):
- The length of the marriage
- The age and health of both parties
- Contributions that both parties made to the marriage, including assistance that one spouse provided to help the other increase their income
- Each spouse's employment history, education, and other factors that may affect the income they are able to earn
- Agreements between the spouses, such as prenuptial or postnuptial agreements
Our firm can help you determine how much spousal support will be paid and for how long. We will work to ensure that, if spousal support is appropriate, the amount of payments will be reasonable amount, and they will last for an appropriate period of time, in accordance with the formulas provided in Illinois law.
Despite the statutory formulas that will be applicable in many cases, the methods used to determine spousal support are not set in stone, and a judge may choose to deviate from the guidelines as they see fit. For this reason and others, it may be in your best interest not to leave these decisions up to the court. Instead, you may attempt to negotiate a settlement with your spouse by means of mediation or collaborative law. We can work with you during these negotiations and advise you on how to make beneficial decisions. If necessary, we can utilize our extensive litigation skills and aggressively advocate for you in court.
Contact Our DuPage County Spousal Support Lawyers
If you have questions about how spousal support may be addressed during your divorce, call Andrew Cores Family Law Group at 630-407-1225 or contact us through this website to set up a free consultation.
