Lee's Summit Spousal Support Attorney

Call Our Divorce Attorneys at The Worstell Law Firm

A common issue that arises during divorce cases is the issue of spousal support or spousal maintenance. Depending on the circumstances of your case, one individual may be ordered by the court to pay maintenance to the other, this is commonly known as alimony. Every family is unique and, consequently, every maintenance case is different. At The Worstell Law Firm, our maintenance attorneys in Lee’s Summit have extensive experience handling divorce cases in Kansas and Missouri. We can use that experience to help you with your maintenance issue. We are committed to providing our clients with the dedicated, personalized legal representation they need and deserve.

If you are going through a divorce and need help with alimony, call The Worstell Law Firm at (816) 338-7877.

Determining Spousal Maintenance in Missouri

Alimony, spousal support, and spousal maintenance are all terms you may have heard in reference to the payments an ex-spouse is ordered to pay to the other ex-spouse. Spousal support is different than child support. The purpose of alimony is to provide the lower-earning individual with financial resources to maintain their standard of living. These payments can be permanent, or they may only be temporary.

The courts consider several factors when determining maintenance, including the:

• Standard of living the couple experienced while married
• Earning potential and capacity of each spouse
• Debt that was acquired during the marriage
• Ability of the higher-earning spouse to make support payments
• Age of both individuals

While the courts often use a formula to help determine spousal support payments, it is sometimes left to the discretion of the judge. Additionally, the courts may consider whether or not either individual is guilty of misconduct during the marriage, such as domestic abuse.